A Long Weekend at Camp
by redroosterdawn
Summary: Summary: The Admiral invites the staff to Camp Maplewood for a weekend of bonding. Harm and Mac have fun with their friends movements.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **_**A Long Weekend at Camp**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Pairing: Harm/Mac

Disclaimer: JAG is property of Belisarius productions, no copyright infringement intended.

Summary: The Admiral invites the staff to Camp Maplewood for a weekend of bonding. Harm and Mac have fun with their friends movements.

_Feedback is greatly appreciated and welcomed._

Author's note: My teen years were spent camping for several weeks on a large lake each the summer. We used to go swimming, canoeing to an island with blueberries, and just having fun.

This story will reflect that time. We slept in a tent, but we had what is called a bunk house kitchen with electricity, a frig, and a propane gas stove. It was a place to eat meals, play cards, and get out of the rain.

part one Notification of the troops

1000 hours

Monday

1 July 2002

Headquarters

The Admiral called Harm and Mac into his office. He wanted to plan something special for the long upcoming fourth of July weekend. It was a longer weekend than normal, four days this year instead of the usual three.

Some old colleagues were in town visiting; Meg Austin, Carolyn Imes, and Caitlin Pike. He also heard that the fleet was in at Norfolk and some old friends of Harm were coming to Washington for a visit.

He was thinking about inviting everyone to his house for a barbeque on one those days. He wanted to know what they thought about the idea.

"Have any plans for the long weekend Commander?" asked AJ."Nothing definite Sir. Why?" replied Harm."Some old acquaintances of yours are coming to town for this weekend. I was thinking about scheduling a barbeque for one of the days." explained AJ."Mac and I were thinking about going camping Sir. We were going to fly out to the western part of the state. Maybe do some hiking and sailing. Was there a particular day you were thinking about Sir?" asked Harm.

He really didn't want to spend any time with the Admiral. He had been planning on spending this weekend alone with Mac for quite some time now. He might be willing to give up an afternoon if he had to, but not a weekend."I was thinking about Saturday, but I like your idea much better. I know the Colonel at the Marine training facility at Camp Maplewood. I'm sure he can put us up for a few days." smiled AJ."Are you sure about this Sir? Do you think anyone would want to go Sir?" asked Mac. She had been relishing the idea of spending a long weekend away from Washington alone with Harm. Time with Harm was always better when they were out of Washington."Of course they will, I'm the Admiral. It will be like one of those corporate outings things that I've heard and have been reading about. Everyone will have the opportunity to bond and depend on each other." smiled AJ thinking about all the possibilities.

"Yes Sir. How many people were you planning on being there Sir?" asked Mac.

"I think sixteen people would be an appropriate number. I think I'll call Mic. I think he would welcome the opportunity to see old friends too." chuckled AJ.

1700 hours

Monday

1 July 2002

Headquarters

The Admiral called Harm and Mac into his office. He wanted to update them on his plans for the upcoming fourth of July weekend. He had called Colonel Creswell about bringing some of his people to Camp Maplewood.

The Colonel, like any good marine officer, knew it was better to make an effort to accommodate the Admiral rather than trying to come up with some half bake excuse as to why he didn't want the Admiral and his people there. He set aside an area large enough to hold twenty people.

There was a small enclosed kitchen area with a stove to cook meals and refrigerator to store away any perishable food they brought with them. There was screen in dining area for meals or a place to get out of the rain if necessary. The forecast was for four sunny days.

"Commander, Colonel, we're all set. Colonel Creswell has confirmed our reservation." smiled AJ."Yes Sir. If you want Sir, Harm and I can handle mess duties for the weekend. We'll handle getting all the food, Sir." replied Mac."Sounds good Colonel, thank you. I'll have Gunny and Tiner arrange for some tents, bedrolls, and eating utensils. I'll take care of the liquid refreshments." smiled AJ. He was salivating about the upcoming weekend.

He enjoyed spending time with his people, unfortunately it wasn't very often and not of long duration. This weekend would be great, it would be special. He could take time to relax and spend more time with each of them."Yes Sir!" replied Harm and Mac.

"That reminds me, I need to arrange for some daily activities with Colonel Creswell. We don't need to have idle bodies with nothing to do all day." smiled AJ.

1000 hours

Wednesday

3 July 2002

Headquarters

Harm and Mac were talking together in Harm's office. They were discussing their plans for the long weekend when Jack Keeter, Elizabeth Skates Hawkes, Caitlin Pike, and Meg Austin walked into his office.

"What are you all doing here?" exclaimed Harm as he gave Jack, Caitlin, Skates, and Meg a hug.

"We came to see you old buddy. We heard that this was supposed to be a special weekend for you." replied Jack with a grin.

"I don't know who told you that Jack. Mac, you know Jack. This is Caitlin Pike, she was my first partner here at Jag. This is Meg Austin, she was my partner before you." introduced Harm.

"Nice to meet you Mac. I've heard that you have been his partner for six years. I can't imagined how you've been able to manage that. I had a tough enough time working with him for six months." laughed Kate.

"Must be all her marine combat training." laughed Meg. "I could never keep him in line."

"He can be a handful at times, but I have never known anyone as special as Harm. He's been great to work with. I couldn't ask for a better partner." replied Mac.

"They must be in love." smirked Skates as the others chuckled.

"Enough with the touchy feely stuff, when can you get out of here Harm?" asked Jack.

"We have a staff meeting at 1200 hours Jack. Why don't we go to the diner down the street for some coffee." smiled Harm. He wanted to tell them what the Admiral had planned for them.

1200 hours

Headquarters

Everyone was milling around in the bullpen. The Admiral had sent a e-mail to everyone at 0900 hours Tuesday morning that there would be a meeting of all special personnel at 1200 hours Wednesday.

Harm was surprised to see Mic talking with Gunny. They were all hoping that the Admiral would keep the meeting short and dismiss everyone for the long holiday weekend.

"I have a special announcement for everyone. As you all know there's a long weekend coming up and some of you might have had plans, but as everyone here knows, I didn't authorize any four day passes to accommodate anyone. That is because I have arranged for a special weekend getaway for everyone at Camp Maplewood." smiled the Admiral.

"Isn't that the camp where the marines go to train for their Physical Readiness Test?" asked Bud to a chorus of moans. Bud was being his usual self serving pain in the donkey self trying to impress the Admiral.

He had a way of letting everybody know he knew everything about all nonessential information which irritated many to no end.

"That's right Mr. Roberts. The marines have offered their training facilities to us for the long weekend. It's been a while since the Jag family has had the opportunity to get together and bond. There will be games and activities for everyone to enjoy." continued the Admiral.

"But Sir!" moaned everyone.

"I expect to see everyone back here at 1400 hours in your woodland BDU's along with a change of casual clothing for four days, swimming gear, personal hygiene gear, and mess gear. Sleeping bags and tents will be provided by the Marines. Each tent will sleep two. Dismiss!" smiled the Admiral.

Everyone returned to headquarters by 1400 hours. They weren't very happy about it. Many of them had planned to go away for the weekend.

They loaded their gear into the back of the AJ's large truck. The food for the weekend was placed in the back of Harm's SUV since he was running the mess hall.

Gunny went along with the AJ in his truck. Mac, Jack, and Skates went with Harm in his SUV. Jen and Jason rode with the Roberts in their minivan.

Caitlin, Meg, and Carolyn went with Loren in her new BMW convertible leaving Mic to travel alone in Sturgis's vintage 1988 Ford Pinto. Mic didn't want to take any chances of having his Porsche being mysteriously damaged by unknown sources.

"Where did you find this heap of junk?" asked Mic. "Are you sure it isn't going to break down on the side of the road?"

"It's not that bad. She only has two hundred and twenty thousand miles on her. She's good for another five at least." smiled Sturgis as he saw the look of disgust on Mic's face.

"Not funny Commander, I don't think they make the parts to fix this bucket of bolts anymore. I serious doubt it can be safely towed more than a mile to any garage." shivered Mic.

1630 hours

Camp Maplewood

parking lot

The Jag convoy arrived at Camp Maplewood at 1630 hours where they unloaded all their gear. The Admiral split the gear and food among the sixteen people before their hike to their camp site. He had taken the beer and soft drinks to the camp site yesterday.

"Alright everyone! Everyone has their pack properly situated." smiled AJ. "For this weekend I don't want to hear the word Admiral, Colonel, Commander, or any other designation of rank. I'm AJ. Anyone who calls me Admiral will have cleanup duty."

"How far is it to the camp Sir?" asked Jason.

"I see we have our first volunteer for cleanup duty." smiled AJ. Harm and Mac had volunteered to do the cooking.

"It's a ten mile trek to base camp. So we don't have a lot of time to waste. The longer it takes to get there, the more likely you will be putting your tents up in the dark. So let's not dilly dally around people." There was a chorus of moans from the group.

AJ decided that Gunny would lead the way. He would maintain a reasonable pace so that everyone should be able to keep up. He didn't want the group to be scattered over a mile or two in the woods.

He wanted some military precision since they would be staying at a marine camp. There would be a few marines there to help with the activities that he had plan. He didn't want the navy to be a laughing stock for the marines.

He would bring up the rear to make sure there were no stragglers. He expected Bud, Harriet, and maybe Singer to fall behind without proper encouragement.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: **_**A Long Weekend at Camp**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Pairing: Harm/Mac

Disclaimer: JAG is property of Belisarius productions, no copyright infringement intended.

Summary: The Admiral invites the staff to Camp Maplewood for a weekend of bonding. Harm and Mac have fun with their friends movements.

_Feedback is greatly appreciated and welcomed._

Author's note: My teen years were spent camping for several weeks on a large lake each the summer. We used to go swimming, canoeing to an island with blueberries, and just having fun.

This story will reflect that time. We slept in a tent, but we had what is called a bunk house kitchen with electricity, a frig, and a propane gas stove. It was a place to eat meals, play cards, and get out of the rain.

part two Food good enough to stick to your bones

1940 hours

Camp Maplewood

It took a little more than three hours to make the trek to the camp. They stopped a couple of times for five minute breaks. AJ was pleased to see his people were in better shape than he expected. No one had trouble staying with the program.

AJ smiled that he had a twist that he didn't believe most of his people would see coming. They were all adults and professional so it shouldn't be a problem although by military code of conduct standards it might not be kosher.

"Listen up people!" bellowed AJ. "I'm going to read off the sleeping arrangements for each tent. In tent one will be Bud and Harriet Roberts. In tent two will be Rabb and MacKenzie, In tent three will be Keeter and Hawkes. In tent four will be Tiner and Coates.

Don't make me regret that decision Tiner. I don't want to hear any funny noises coming from your tent. That goes double for you too Roberts. You're not in your bedroom." smirked AJ to a chorus of snickering.

"In tent five will be Galindez and Imes. In tent six will be Brumby and Pike. You're with me Austin. In the last tent will be Turner and Singer." smiled AJ as he saw the disappointed look on Sturgis's face.

"Sir." began Sturgis to the sound of "Uh ... oh!"

"Mr. Tiner, it seems you will be having company after all cleaning the pots and pans." smiled AJ.

"Mr. Turner, each of the females were given a choice of whom they wanted to share a tent with. It's kind of obvious who Harriet, Mac, and Jen wanted to share their tent with. Meg wanted someone taller than she is.

Hawkes wanted someone she knew. Carolyn thought Victor was cute. Caitlin likes Mic's dry sense of humor. As for Loren, she was in court this morning, she got what was left over. Don't take it personally Mr. Turner, we all can't be Mr. Personality." chuckled AJ.

It didn't take Harm and Mac long to have their tent up and their gear stored away as Mac utilized her marine efficiency. Harm grabbed a beer out of the ice chest and Mac grabbed a ginger ale before heading to the cooking area which was quite nice considering.

It was well stocked with the proper cooking utensils. There was a six burner stove to cook on and a reasonable sized refrigerator to store the meats, eggs, and dairy products.

Mac decided that the first meal of the holiday should be her world famous Marine Chili Stew. It was made up of several types of meats and beans, lots and lots of beans. She felt it was fitting to replenish the burned calories utilized during their long three hour trek.

"Harm, why don't you brown up the hamburger and sausage links. Don't forget to dice up the links. I'll dice up the dogs and let them simmer with the beans." ordered Mac.

"You got enough meat here Mac? You might want to save some for another meal. This looks like a heart attack waiting to happen." teased Harm as he gave her a kiss.

There was three pounds of hamburger, three pounds of hot dogs, and two pounds of sausage links. She had a seven pound can of bake beans, a two pound can of chili beans, and a thirty two ounce jar of Ragu.

Author's note: I grew up in a large family, nine kids. Saturday meals were beans and franks. We ate a seven pound can of beans and three pounds or thirty franks. Here we have sixteen adults. I think they can handle it.

"Harm, didn't you see all those soft bellied squids straining to complete the trek? They need to replenish their energy stores. The Admiral said he planned on physically challenging everyone very hard this weekend. The best way to accommodate him is to feed everyone high caloric meals." replied Mac seriously.

Author's note: I worked in the Food Engineering Lab developing MRE (Meals Ready to Eat) and other food items while I was in the Army. The main purpose was for the soldiers to be able to carry enough food to sustain him for seven days.

The daily caloric requirement was 3600 calories per day. That's approximately 900 grams per day, 6300 grams for the week. 453 grams per pound. That's fourteen pounds of food. To reduce the weight more fat is added to the meals.

That meant feeding them high caloric density foods (meaning high fat content since fat has more than twice the caloric content per gram as proteins and carbohydrates).

"Still Mac, there's enough fat here to clog up the arteries of a horse." questioned Harm.

"All the more to create togetherness and laughter for everyone. Can you imagine the look on Singer's face when we put this stuff in front of her and the Admiral tells her to eat all of it. Besides it will abet our overall plans for this weekend." laughed Mac.

"Remind me again what your devious plan is all about." sighed Harm feigning ignorance.

He really liked how Mac's devious mind was working this week. It was payback time for her since the admiral had spoiled their weekend plans and she couldn't be alone with Harm.

"We're going to cause half the group to be constipated for a few days. The other half we will give them laxatives at the appropriate time of the day to cause them major bowel movements at an inappropriate times." smiled Mac.

"I like the idea of Loren, Gunny, and Jason being constipated." laughed Harm. "Loren will freak out to be eating so much and not being able to alleviate herself of any of it. As for Gunny he is a marine who's by the book.

If he's unable to dump a load it will mess with his head. As for Jason he wouldn't want to be outdone by Gunny. I can hear it now, Jason bragging to Gunny that he has gone longer without dumping than Gunny."

"Amusing flyboy. Lets add the Admiral to the mix. I think he would be bothered the most by not being regular. Besides that's an affliction of someone who's getting old. Mention it in front of Bud and he will say something stupid to the Admiral. What about Kate or Meg?" smiled Mac.

"Meg would be the better choice. I think she would be bothered more by it. I think we should add Harriet. I think that should be enough candidates." smiled Harm.

"Why Harriet and not Bud? Harriet is too nice of a person Harm." replied Mac.

"Because I think it's more natural to give the laxative to Bud than to Harriet. It's more part of his personality where as Harriet is more prim and proper. She isn't likely to let anyone know she not able to have a movement.

Besides it will give her something to bond with Singer about which is after all part of the Admiral's plan for this weekend." smiled Harm.

"Okay Harm, I think you're right about that. I think I would rather have her being a little constipated than having her being embarrassed because she can't control her movements and goes in her shorts.

So we should give Bud, Jack, Sturgis, Mic, Caitlin, Jen, Skates, and Carolyn the laxatives." offered Mac.

"I think we should focus mainly on the guys. I think Bud and Mic are naturals for this game. I think they would come by this naturally anyway. Jack is a jokester, I think he could appreciate it. Sturgis is a prude. I think it would bother him that he couldn't control his movements." laughed Harm.

"That sounds good Harm. I would like to see them lose control at an inopportune time." laughed Mac. "But why not any of the ladies?"

"They are all good people except for maybe Kate. We can get her later this weekend. Also I think we can't be the only ones that aren't constipated or have the runs. This will cover us. Otherwise they might think we're behind all this somehow." chuckled Harm.

"I like the way you think flyboy." smiled Mac.

"I like the way you look marine." replied Harm as he gave her a kiss.

Meanwhile everyone else had finished putting up their tents and had stowed away their gear. Gunny got a fire started and AJ had Jason and Jack bring out the ice chest that was filled with a case of beer and soft drinks.

"Job well done people. Have a drink on me. Don't drink all the beer Jack." ordered AJ.

Everyone grabbed a drink and relaxed by the fire. It wasn't long before Harm let everyone know that dinner was ready. Everyone went into their tent and retrieved their mess kit, utensils, and went to the dining area.

Since Harm and Mac did all the cooking AJ offered to served everyone. He started with Loren. He had a sixteen ounce ladle to use in serving the meal. Loren was shocked to see how much food was put onto her plate. She didn't exactly like what she saw there either.

"AJ, I can't possibly eat all this. What is this?" Loren told AJ as her nose turn upward with disgust.

"It's Marine Chili Stew Loren and I'm sure Mac would be offended if you didn't eat it all." smiled AJ. It wasn't an order, just a strong suggestion that left no room for debate.

The other ladies looked on with concern. That was a large portion to consume. They didn't have long lean bodies because they over indulged. Besides they weren't particularly pleased with the idea of eating anything containing beans in it.

On the other hand Jack, Gunny, Jason, Bud, and Mic were excited by the meal. They were starving. They hadn't eaten anything in seven hours. There was nothing better than meat and beans to fill oneself up after a long day outdoors.

"What's in here?" asked Jen. She had a look of apprehension. It looked a little like dog food to her. There were too many strange looking things mixed in with the beans. She didn't exactly care about eating the beans either.

"Nothing that you haven't eaten before Jen. Just some ground beef, tube steaks, and piglet links." smiled Harm.

"The meat is koshered. We couldn't let Loren eat meat from an unclean animal." smiled Mac.

"I don't eat kosher foods." replied Carolyn. She wasn't too please with the food choice either. Maybe she wouldn't have to eat it.

"We were just kidding. The meat isn't kosher and neither is Loren Jewish. Sturgis converted her to a Southern Baptist." smiled Harm.

"Stop the blathering and eat up. Last one to finish gets to clean the mess kits with Jason and Sturgis." ordered AJ.

It wasn't long before everyone was finished. Mic, Jack, and Gunny even went back for seconds. Jason wanted to also, but Jen told him he would have to find somewhere else to sleep if he did.

Mac served yogurt for desert to the dismay of the men. They had bought several large containers of yogurt. Mac had mixed the binding agent into one of the container. A second container had none.

Harm had thought it would be a sign of good faith to the ladies that there would be healthy food to be eaten on this excursion.

The blueberry yogurt with its special additive was given to the people who were to developed constipation problems for the next several days. The strawberry yogurt were served for those who would be given a laxative in the morning and to everyone else.

"What is this?" asked Jack.

"It's yogurt Jack. It's like ice cream only it's made of protein. You'll like it." answered Mac.

After dinner everyone sat around the fire for awhile talking before hitting their tents for the night. It was a time reserved for story telling.

"Who has a story about Harm and Mac they would like to share?" asked AJ.

"I remember their visit to Afghanistan. They were in search of a terrorist. They were traveling along the road to their next interview when they ran off the road." began Gunny with a smirk.

"Mac was driving and busy talking to me. She observed that I liked it there. She called it 'Man's Country'. She didn't see the herd of goats that were standing in the middle of the road in time to stop.

So instead of running the over she swerved to avoid them and drove us into a field of land mines which blew out the tires. I was thrown from the jeep. Fortunately I didn't land on one." smiled Harm.

"I got you out of there didn't I. It wasn't my fault that you stepped on one of them." replied Mac with a pout.

"How come this is the first I'm hearing about this?" asked AJ.

"Because then we would have had to tell you about how Bud authorized an air strike that almost killed us later that night as Harm and I were getting ready for bed." replied Mac.

"I got more cuts and scrapes from Bud's bombing run than I got from stepping on the mine." added Harm.

"How did you spend the night together old buddy? I know it can get quite cold at night in the dessert." smiled Jack.

"Did he hold you in his arms so you could share body heat?" teased Caitlin.

"Among other things." smiled Mac drawing some hoots from the others.

"The next day they were found by one of the patrols. They met up with Webb and me at another village where we thought the terrorist we were looking for had been killed. Unfortunately he hadn't been killed." continued Gunny.

"I remember, Harm and Mac were reported missing. Loren went around the office notifying everyone. That's when Harriet slugged her." chuckled Jason.

"For which she was severely reprimanded. I won't have officers setting poor examples for the enlisted." bellowed AJ.

"She had latrine duty for a month." grinned Bud.

"We followed a truck across Afghanistan. We traveled all night to catch up to it. Harm didn't wake me up to share in the driving." whined Mac.

"I can't say I blame him Mac. You did drive into a minefield and he was almost killed." replied Jack.

"It's been almost two years since he let me drive." pouted Mac.

"Anyway we found the truck. The driver was dead. He died from radiation poisoning." continued Harm.

"He was Chechnynian. He was part of that group who got the radioactive material from the Russian we investigated Sturgis. We reported back to the ship and to the CNO." informed Mac.

"That's when Loren figured out the sub was missing. Sturgis was sent to the Watertown." added AJ.

"Alec Baldwin!" yelled out everyone to Sturgis's embarrassment.

"Harm got to fly one of the tomcats. It seems that after all these years no one has beaten his score when it comes to shooting down missiles." smiled Mac.

"Oh! I've heard about this. Harm played tag with the missile. It chased his six until it fizzled out." exclaimed Skates.

"That was you Buddy?" asked Jack as he slapped Harm's back.

"Couldn't let it hit the fleet, Mac was there." replied Harm.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: **_**A Long Weekend at Camp**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Pairing: Harm/Mac

Disclaimer: JAG is property of Belisarius productions, no copyright infringement intended.

Summary: The Admiral invites the staff to Camp Maplewood for a weekend of bonding. Harm and Mac have fun with their friends movements.

_Feedback is greatly appreciated and welcomed._

Author's note: My teen years were spent camping for several weeks on a large lake each the summer. We used to go swimming, canoeing to an island with blueberries, and just having fun.

This story will reflect that time. We slept in a tent, but we had what is called a bunk house kitchen with electricity, a frig, and a propane gas stove. It was a place to eat meals, play cards, and get out of the rain.

part three The movements begins

Later that night there was a loud noise that woke up everyone in the camp, that is everyone except Mic. He was sound asleep snoring. Everyone came out of their tents to see who was making all the noise.

"What are we going to do Sir?" asked Gunny.

"Well you got cleanup detail tomorrow morning, but as for tonight, let's see about pulling Mic out of his tent. If he doesn't wake up, four of you will transfer him to a point a half mile away." replied AJ.

During his SEAL training a long time ago in a land not friendly to squids or marines they had several members of their unit who could snore up a storm. They weren't woken up very easily. It was easier to just move them. They found out that a half mile was usually sufficient.

"Thank you AJ, you made our day." smiled Jack as he and Harm pulled Mic out of the tent and with Jason and Gunny's help lugged Mic away.

Jason was going to yell out "Can you hear him now!" as in the Verison phone commercial, but Gunny advised him not to. They didn't want to wake Mic up and have to repeat the same process at some later time that night.

"Sorry Kate, if I knew he snored like that, I wouldn't have invited him along." offered AJ.

"It's okay AJ, Mac was telling me it's the combination of the beans and beer that did it. She had forgotten that Mic snored after he had had too much beer to drink.

0700 hours

Thursday

4 July 2002

Camp Maplewood

The next morning Harm and Mac were up early. They cooked up two large pots of oatmeal for the morning meal. They added the binding agent to one of the pots. They made up three pots of coffee, marine grade, regular coffee, and navy grade spiked with a laxative.

Mac figured this combination was pretty safe. She knew the Admiral and Gunny would drink the marine grade, they liked their coffee strong, so it was likely they wouldn't get any of the laxative. She figured Jason and Loren would drink the marine grade too because they drank whatever the Admiral drank.

She also knew that Bud, Mic, Sturgis, and Jack didn't like marine grade coffee. So serving them the laxative in their coffee was a done deal.

It wasn't long before everyone was up. The aroma of good coffee always got them moving in the morning. They were all served a large ladle of oatmeal, a glass of tomato juice, and a mug of specially brewed coffee.

Once again the ladies were shocked to see the portion size. They wondered what was up. Was this a subtle way of the Admiral telling them that they were too skinny. They had heard that he liked a woman with some meat on her bones.

"Where's the milk AJ?" asked Jack.

"What is this?" asked Caitlin.

"I need some sugar for my coffee." whined Jen.

"It's oatmeal Kate. Harm thought we might need something healthy to eat this morning after eating Mac's special marine surprise last night. You're sweet enough already Jen." replied AJ.

"Where's Mic this morning?" laughed Jack.

"I guess he hasn't woken up yet Sir." laughed Jason.

"You like washing pots and pans don't you Jason." smirked AJ as Jason realized his mistake.

"Jack, I think you and Victor should find him after you have finished eating. We have a date with some canoes in an hour. I don't want anyone to miss out on all the fun." smiled AJ.

"Canoeing?" whined Loren. "I'm still sore from all the hiking we did yesterday."

"That's why you were fed a good meal last night and this morning Loren. It should help you recover faster and have sufficient energy to do all the planned activities we have scheduled for today." explained AJ smiling.

Fifteen minutes later Mic came into the camp carrying his sleeping bag. He was upset when he first awoke to find himself sleeping in the woods alone instead of beside the lovely Caitlin Pike.

He had hoped to maybe get a kiss from her this morning, but when Jack explained to him that he had been snoring loud enough to wake the dead he understood. Especially when Gunny mentioned something about the Admiral skinning him alive.

"You have ten minutes Mic. Chow down and be ready to leave at the landing." ordered AJ.

"What do you have planned AJ?" asked Mic catching himself as he ate.

"We're going canoeing. There is a small island in the middle of the lake three miles away. It's where our lunch is located. I understand there is some Aussie beer in one of the coolers." smiled AJ to Mic's satisfaction.

0900 hours

boat landing

Everyone meandered downed to the boat landing. Sturgis and Loren had cleaned the pots and pans while Jason had washed the mess kits and utensils. Jen had taken care of rinsing out the coffee pots. She wanted to be near her boy toy.

There were eight canoes. They were sixteen feet long. They were of the Old Town variety made of fiberglass. They were a flat bottom canoe with a three foot girth which offered more stability than the flimsy aluminum canoes did in the water. They also moved through the water better. AJ thought that was a good idea considering some of his people.

"Attention on deck!" yelled Gunny as he saw AJ approached the landing.

"That's not necessary Victor. There's no rank here this weekend. We're just one big happy family." smiled AJ.

"Speak for yourself." Loren whimpered more to herself than to anyone else. "It's bad enough being with them all week never mind sharing touchy feely time on my own time."

"This morning's activity is a canoe ride. We will canoe to an island in the middle of the lake where our lunch will be waiting for us. We will then bring our lunch back to the landing site and eat it here at camp. I understand from our marine friends that it will be standard luncheon fare." informed AJ.

"How far is the island AJ?" asked Kate. She wondered if this was going to be a short leisurely ride or extended effort like yesterday's trek to the camp.

"I've been told it's about a forty minute paddle for the marines." replied AJ to a chorus of moans from the ladies.

"AJ, you know that it's going to take us at least twice as long for us to paddle. You're talking about a three hours round trip." moaned Meg as did some of the men too.

"You have anything better to do Meg? You all are in the Navy. I'm sure that you all can handle a canoe. I don't want to hear that the marines have hit the beach first." laughed AJ. "Lets go people."

It wasn't long before everyone was on their way. It seemed that the race to the island was between Jack's, Mic's, and Gunny's teams. They were all working in synch and moving smoothly.

AJ and Meg weren't too far behind. AJ felt the need to pace himself. He was a bit older, but he also knew that it was going to be a long day. There was still some swimming to do this afternoon.

He was surprised not to see Harm and Mac up ahead with the leaders. They both were very competitive and were probably the best coordinated team in the group. Jason and Jen were next in line. Jason wanted to catch up to Gunny, but Jen wasn't interested in that idea.

"We can catch them Jen! We just need to go a little faster!" exclaimed Jason as he tried to encourage Jen to paddle a little harder.

"Why Jason? Look around you, it's so beautiful out here. It's so peaceful and relaxing. Besides it's going to take us awhile anyway. We need to pace ourselves.

And as you well know Jason the Admiral has something planned for us this afternoon. Do you want to tire yourself out now and not be able to beat Victor this afternoon?" replied Jen.

"You're right Jen as usual. Gunny will push CI too hard and they won't be able to finish. We'll pass them on the way back." beamed Jason happily.

Harm and Mac were the next team in line. Harm was surprised that Mac didn't want to go any faster. He knew they could beat the rest of the teams hands down.

"Are you enjoying yourself marine?" asked Harm. Mac seemed to be day dreaming to him.

"It's a beautiful day Harm. There's no reason to hurry. We can catch everyone on the way back. They will all tire out eventually. Besides I want to watch Jason and Jen. They look so sweet together." smiled Mac.

"My marine is a romantic. What is the world coming to?" sighed Harm shaking his head.

"Harm, you know her history. Most of her problems came about because she didn't feel loved. Jason is a great guy. He will adore her and take good care of her. They can be happy together like we are." smiled Mac.

"I also want to make sure Bud and Harriet are doing okay too before we leave them behind. Besides, I don't want to be near the others when the laxatives kick in. It could get very messy." laughed Mac.

What a beautiful laugh thought Harm. She was the most amazing woman he had ever met. She could be tough as nails when she needed to be, but most of the time she was just plain perfect.

Sturgis was frustrated. He had expected to be doing better. He was a highly competitive individual and hated to lose. He thought Loren had the same mettle, but unfortunately she lacked any real physical skill despite her declaration to the contrary.

She was struggling to keep a consistent stroke going never mind one that was in tempo with Sturgis. He was about to say something to her when he felt an unexpected urge. Last night's dinner was about to make a swift appearance.

There was no way he could prevent it from happening. There was no way they were going to make it to the island. He had tried squeezing his scrawny little buttock as tight as he could, but it was to no avail.

He felt the movement building to a climax. It was now or never, it was coming out. All he could do was fall over the side of the canoe and pull down his trunks and allow the sense of relief to come. Loren didn't notice that Sturgis had fallen overboard. She kept on paddling though it felt like the effort was getting harder.

Bud and Harriet, who were a few hundred yards behind Loren, did notice that there was a man overboard. Harriet tried to call out to Loren, but to no avail. She was too far ahead to hear her cries. They picked up the pace a little in an effort to get to Sturgis. He was their friend.

It didn't take too long before they got to him. Bud helped him into their canoe so that they could catch up to Loren who was now wondering why they weren't moving very fast anymore. She was about to turn around and ask Sturgis when she saw Bud and Harriet pulling along side of her.

"I think you lost something Loren." smiled Harriet as she gestured back to Sturgis in the middle of their canoe.

"What happened Sir?" asked Loren as she tried to hold the canoe steady with Harriet so that Sturgis could get back into his own canoe.

"There was major movement of last night's meal. I didn't think you would want me to share it with you so I decided to share it with the residents of the lake instead." replied Sturgis.

"Thank you Sir, ..... I think. I'm glad though that you have decided to rejoin me. I don't think I would have been able to make it to the island by myself." replied Loren who was confused as to what had just happen.

Up ahead Harm was laughing so hard he almost tipped over the canoe.

"Why are you laughing Harm?" asked Mac a bit annoyed. She was doing all the paddling now.

"Phase one of your master plan has been accomplished marine. I do believe Sturgis has pass mustard." smiled Harm. "He abandoned ship and took a header into the lake."

"I don't understand Harm." questioned Mac. She wasn't familiar with archaic naval terms.

"The laxative kicked in Mac. My guess is that he didn't want to suffer the humiliation of losing a load in his pants while in Loren's presence so he went over the side." laughed Harm.

"Aren't you glad now that we lagged behind Harm? You wouldn't have been able to appreciate Sturgis's discomfort if you hadn't seen it. I wondered how Mic and Jack are doing." pondered Mac causing Harm to laugh.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: **_**A Long Weekend at Camp**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Pairing: Harm/Mac

Disclaimer: JAG is property of Belisarius productions, no copyright infringement intended.

Summary: The Admiral invites the staff to Camp Maplewood for a weekend of bonding. Harm and Mac have fun with their friends movements.

_Feedback is greatly appreciated and welcomed._

Author's note: My teen years were spent camping for several weeks on a large lake each the summer. We used to go swimming, canoeing to an island with blueberries, and just having fun.

This story will reflect that time. We slept in a tent, but we had what is called a bunk house kitchen with electricity, a frig, and a propane gas stove. It was a place to eat meals, play cards, and get out of the rain.

part four Finish the job

As hard as Mic tried he couldn't beat Jack and Skates to the island first to claim the prize, the cooler containing the Aussie beer. He grabbed the other cooler which he believed was full of soft drinks.

"Good job mate." Mic congratulated Jack.

"It's not a race buddy. Skates and I are Airedales. We just flew over the top of the water." smiled Jack.

"You and Kate have been spending too much time behind your desks of late. You're getting soft Mic." laughed Skates.

"We'll see who's soft. I don't think you have the stamina old man to make it back to camp ahead of everyone." challenged Caitlin.

They were off and into their canoe as AJ arrived with Meg. Jack was about to go after Mic when he felt the Movement coming. He hurried to hide behind some bushes to conduct his business.

Meanwhile Gunny had grabbed a smaller cooler that contain dessert and had placed it into the middle of his canoe.

"Where is Jack going Skates?" asked AJ.

"He's pretending to be a marine and is digging in AJ. I think last night's dinner has finally caught up with him." grinned Skates.

"I wouldn't know about that. I can only hope that I can make it back to camp before then." sighed AJ. He hated being constipated. It made him feel old and tired.

"Where do you think you're going Jack? Didn't you read the sign?" bellowed AJ.

"NO DUMPING ALLOW! I think they mean garbage AJ. What I left behind was all natural." smiled Jack.

"You're not leaving anything behind on this island Jack. You brought it, you take it with you." ordered AJ.

Jack went to the canoe with hopes of finding something to put his droppings into. He saw nothing, but he did see Gunny wearing his floppy cover. Jack smiled when an idea hit him.

"Hey Victor! AJ was looking for a hat to put on his head. You don't happen to have an extra one for him?" asked Jack. He knew Gunny would give him his own hat. He was a marine after all.

"Take this one Jack." deadpanned Gunny. It wouldn't be that bad. He was used to the heat. He grew up in New Mexico. It was at least twenty degrees hotter there.

Jack went back to where he had done his business and put it in Gunny's floppy BDU hat. He then went back to the canoe and gave the hat back to Gunny.

"Sorry Victor, but AJ decided he didn't need a hat anymore. He said something about you taking it back with you." apologized Jack.

Gunny didn't say anything. He was about to put it back on his head when he noticed that it felt quite heavy. He looked inside and almost gagged. He wasn't very happy with what he saw there. He hated it when officers took advantaged of enlisted personnel. He would get even with the Admiral.

"What is it Victor?" asked Carolyn. Gunny looked paled to her.

"Nothing Ma'am, just somebody's poor idea of a joke. We better get going." replied Gunny. He was determined to finish first now.

AJ put one of the knapsacks containing sandwiches into his canoe. He waited for a few minutes to see if everyone was doing okay. He wasn't in any hurry. He watched Jason and Jen arrived followed closely by Rabb and MacKenzie.

"Aren't you a little behind Jason? I would have thought you would be right there with Victor." smiled AJ.

"He's in love AJ. He's enjoying what life has to offer him. He doesn't have to complete with Gunny anymore. He has already won." smiled Mac causing Jason to blush and Jen to smile.

"Is that so Mac? Is that why you are so far behind?" asked AJ.

"I have always enjoyed what life has to offer AJ. It so beautiful out here this morning. Besides Harm and I can always catch them on the way back if we so choose." smiled Mac.

She must be in love. MacKenzie only smiles like that when she's with Rabb. They have been getting along at work much better for quite some time now.

"Did we miss any movements AJ." smiled Harm.

"If you mean what I think you mean, then yes. I made sure that Jack took it back with him." grinned AJ. "You know, leave no one or anything behind."

"Well we did have one mishap earlier. Sturgis went over the side. I believe it was for the same reason. Loren didn't even know he was missing." laughed Harm.

"One should always take care of business before going out on patrol." replied AJ. with a smile.

Mac and Jen grabbed two of the smaller bags filled with fruits and returned to their canoes. Jason noticed a funny look on AJ's face.

"What's the matter Sir? Are you still constipated? Maybe they have something in the first aid kit." asked a concern Jason causing everyone to laugh.

"Thank you Jason for being interested in my well being, but I've already looked. There wasn't anything there." replied AJ slightly embarrassed.

"I saw some apples in the bag Sir. Maybe they can help. One of my sisters always got the runs when she ate too many." offered Jason.

"So does Marine grade coffee. I had three cups this morning. And stop calling me Sir. It's AJ while we're out here." ordered AJ.

And then they were off, canoeing back to the landing site of their camp. AJ was surprise to see Harm and Mac pulling away so quickly. He thought he and Meg were paddling at a good pace. Their canoe glided through the water so smoothly.

Ten minutes later Bud, Harriet, Loren, and Sturgis reached the island. Harriet wanted to take five and appreciate the view. Loren just wanted to rest. She was tired. Her arms were sore from the paddling. She just wanted to go home and get into a hot bath and stay there for the rest of the weekend.

"What's the matter Loren?" asked Harriet.

"I'm tired and I'm sore. On top of that I feel constipated." moaned Loren.

"I actually feel pretty good, which surprises me. I guess I'm in better shape than I thought." smiled Harriet feeling good about herself.

They picked up the last two bags filled with snacks and were off. Bud and Harriet didn't hurry. They didn't care if they were first or last. They just liked being together. It was nice to not have to worry about little AJ for a weekend.

Sturgis on the other hand didn't want to finish last. He wanted to catch up to some of the people who were ahead of him. He didn't like the idea of being one of the worse. He wondered why the Admiral had put him with Singer. Was he trying to tell him something or teach him a lesson?

On the way back Gunny and Carolyn started to fall behind. Their coordination began to unravel. He wanted to keep up a strong pace, but that was hard with Carolyn's stroke rate slowing down.

Of course Jack's special gift from the admiral didn't exactly help. Mic and Kate had pulled ahead of Jack and Skates. Mic wanted to cream the competition. He was an outdoorsman. He had been canoeing since he was a wee little lad.

It wasn't long though before Harm and Mac had caught up to everyone. They were moving five mph faster than everyone else as Mac was setting a fast pace and Harm's strokes were long and powerful.

Mac could feel the canoe lurch forward every time they stroked together in perfect unison. It was an unbelievable feeling, such power and speed. They were moving like a well oiled machine.

They past everyone with a half mile to go. They had made up the ten minutes that they had been behind when they left the island. Mic tried to keep pace, but the harder he tried, the worse they did as they were no longer paddling in synch.

Then it happened. Mic felt the Movement, but there was nothing he could do about it, he had to continued on. He needed to beat Harm to shore. He just had to, but it was not to be as he lost his load in his pants.

Kate wasn't very happy as the sweet aroma reached her. She began gagging the rest of the way in. They struggled back to the landing well behind Harm and Mac.

1215 hours

Thursday

4 July 2002

Camp Maplewood

Thirty minutes later everyone had returned to the landing. To no one's surprise Bud and Harriet were the last ones to finish, but they didn't care because it was a beautiful day to be out on the lake together.

Jason and Jen had caught up to Gunny and Carolyn. Carolyn ordered Gunny to get rid of his gift. She was quite unhappy with him. She thought he should have gotten rid of it as soon as they left the island, but Gunny wanted to give the special gift back to the Admiral, whom he had thought had put the gift into his hat in the first place.

Since the Admiral was ten minutes behind them he made his way to the Admiral's tent and slid the gift into the Admiral's sleeping bag. He thought about leaving the gift in his hat, but decided he didn't want the Admiral to know it was he who had left the special gift.

So he removed the hat and threw it on the coals that were still burning from last night. It was too bad he thought, he liked that hat, it fitted him like a glove.

AJ had left word with Harm that no one was to start eating lunch until everyone was back. He did concede that the first ones back to the landing would have their choice of what sandwiches and drinks they wanted.

The sandwiches were really grinders. There were roast beef and cheese, ham and cheese, meatball and cheese, and some kind of funky vegetarian grinders. There were chips, apples, grapes, and oranges for snacks.

As promise by AJ there was a case of Aussie beer to drink and a case of soft drinks. The beers went fast since everyone was quite thirsty. This annoyed Mic since he wanted more than a couple to alleviate the pain of losing to Harm once more along with last night's dinner.

"What's the matter Kate? You look a little pale." snickered Harm.

"Now I know why you call him Bugme. Shortly after you passed us he did a number in his pants. It had me gagging all the way to the end." whined Caitlin.

"I guess I should be thankful that Sturgis was raised better than Mic. He had the presence of mind to leave his gift in the water when he fell over board." smiled Loren in relief.

"I didn't want to humiliate myself Loren, but thank you for doing the honors for me." replied Sturgis a little upset. He didn't want anyone to know he had lost control of his bowels.

"Oh ..... is that the reason why he was in the water. I thought it was because he was a bubblehead and preferred to be under the surface of the water." laughed Mac. She was joined by the others.

Carolyn was going to tell everyone about their special gift from the AJ, but Gunny stopped her. "Ma'am, I think it would be wise not embarrassed AJ. Remember we have to work for him. He could make life a living hell for the for seeable future if you do."

"So who was the first one to make it back to the landing Jack?" asked AJ.

"Harm and Mac were AJ. It was amazing. They were going so fast. I thought they were flying." replied Jack showing awe on his face.

"That's because we work together Jack. We were in perfect harmony." declared Mac.

"I bet that was a first." replied Skates drawing a laugh from everyone.

"I don't understand Jack, all of you were thirty minutes ahead of them." questioned AJ.

"It's what happens when you get old and don't pace yourself. You peak too early." Harm replied in a suggestive manner.

They carried on this way for the next hour. Mac handed out the yogurt desserts for everyone citing the health benefits. She made sure that everyone especially Gunny, Jason, Loren, Harriet, and AJ got the special kind that kept them bound up inside.

"Listen up everyone, in twenty minutes a squad of marines will take us to our next activity of the day. For the women it will be a half mile swim. For the men it will be a mile swim. Since you all are navy this shouldn't be a problem." smiled AJ.

"There are two marines here AJ." contradicted Gunny.

"Marines are part of the navy Victor. You were trained to hit the beaches in a land assault, and if I remember right you even did a little force recon training. Shouldn't be a problem for you. As for Mac I'm sure if a squid can do it, she can do it too." smiled AJ.

"You got twenty minutes people, use it wisely. I don't want any repeat performances of this morning. Understood Sturgis!" laughed AJ


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: **_**A Long Weekend at Camp**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Pairing: Harm/Mac

Disclaimer: JAG is property of Belisarius productions, no copyright infringement intended.

Summary: The Admiral invites the staff to Camp Maplewood for a weekend of bonding. Harm and Mac have fun with their friends movements.

_Feedback is greatly appreciated and welcomed._

part five Togetherness

1330 hours

on a boat 0.5 &

1 mile from shore

The marines picked them up in two powerboats and took the respective groups out to their respected starting points where Gunny Sergeant Kilpatrick told them what was going to happen.

"As you all saw on the way out here we have stationed a marine in a rowboat every two hundred yards. If you have any difficulty during the swim one of them will be there to assist you. Do any of you need a life jacket?" asked GS.

Before any of them could answer they saw Bud pulling down his swim suit. What in the world was he doing they all wondered? Was he going to swim au natural? Most of them turned away at the unpleasant sight of Bud with no clothes on. It wasn't an image that any of them wanted to see or remember before they began their swim.

"What are you doing Bud?" asked Sturgis with a queer look on his face.

"I have to do a number two, I don't want to do it in my shorts. Harriet will kill me if I do." replied Bud as it all came out in a rush.

The GS wasn't very happy that Bud had done it in his boat, but what could he say, they were all officers or so he thought. He had a look on his face that could kill.

"Outstanding Sir." replied Gunny. He didn't care if he had do the pots and pans again, it was worth it after seeing that everyone was shocked by Bud's outstanding performance.

"You could have at least waited until you were in the water Bud." laughed Jack.

"That would have been difficult Jack." replied Bud.

"Lets go everyone!" shouted AJ as he was the first to jump in.

Bud was the last one to jump in. He had to pull his swimming suit back on, but he quickly caught up. It seemed that everyone had decided to swim together for the time being. Harm suspected that they were all tired and a little sore from the morning activity.

As for the women there wasn't any drama except for Loren complaining.

"Why are we doing this again Mac?"

"We are suppose to be bonding Loren. Unless anyone has any objections, we will take it easy and swim together. There is no need to rush. We're a half mile ahead of the men. We should be able to finish before them without too much of an effort." replied Mac.

Mac wasn't a great swimmer, but Harm had told her the keys to swimming distance. Don't hurry, just stay relax. Focus on trying to make smooth long strokes. Don't think about how much longer it is to the finish.

They swam together as a group. There was encouragement whenever someone slowed a little. In the end they all finished together, happy to get it done and over with.

The men on the other hand weren't as successful. They stayed together for half the trip, but then Gunny began to struggle. Bud stayed with him as the others left them behind. Bud didn't care about winning, he only wanted to make sure everyone finished okay.

Sturgis and Jason were the next ones to drop back. Sturgis had never been a very good swimmer, something to do with being black and having denser muscle tissue though Jack always told him that the only thing that was dense about him was his head.

Jason didn't like how Sturgis looked as he swum. He looked like he was struggling so he stayed with Sturgis. His only goal was to do better than Gunny.

In the end it was a race between Harm and Jack, two Airedales who had been the best of friends since their academy days. Harm had the long powerful stokes. Jack had the shorter, more compact stroke, but he had a greater turnover.

They were rooted in by the ladies as they relaxed drinking soft drinks in the shade. Harm was able to eek out a win as he put in a killer finishing kick. Even Mac was amazed at how strong Harm looked at the end. He wasn't even breathing hard when he finished.

Ten minutes later everyone had finished. No one needed the assistance of the marines. Even AJ was happy as he beat Mic to the finish line.

"How did the ladies do Mac?" asked AJ after everyone had finished and a drink in their hand.

"We swam the whole way together. No one was left behind. We started and finished together." replied Mac.

"Very good ladies. I wish I could say the same, but I believe we didn't leave anyone behind either. Someone always buddied up when one of us dropped back. Thank you Bud, Jason.

By the way Mr. Roberts I thought I told everyone that I didn't want any repeat performances this afternoon." scowled AJ.

"What did he do now AJ?" asked Harriet timidly.

"It's hard to put it gently little lady." began Jack.

"But I think he wanted to out do the performances of both Mic and Sturgis." Harm broke out laughing.

"He took off his pants and did a number two in the boat. That marine sergeant sure looked mad." laughed Jack.

"It's a sight I hope to never see again." moaned Mic. He wasn't feeling too good at the moment.

"What is wrong with you Bud?" asked Harriet shaking her head shamefully.

"You complain so much about cleaning AJ's underpants, I wanted to save you the trouble of cleaning my shorts." replied Bud innocently.

"That's so sweet of you Bud. Always thinking about someone else." praised Caitlin. "I hoped you learned something Mic. You're supposed to pull your pants down when you have to go."

Everyone laughed, but Mic.

"AJ told me he would write me up if I ever pull down my pants again when I was here in DC last year." argued Mic.

"That was at your bachelor party Mic. The wait staff didn't like you showcasing your scrawny chicken legs while they were serving chicken to their customers." replied AJ as everyone laughed except Mic.

AJ gave everyone the rest of the day off. There weren't any more planned activities for the rest of the day. They were encouraged to hang out and get to know each other better.

1830 hours

Later in the day Harm and Mac cooked another rib sticking meal for dinner designed to replaced the energy that was lost throughout the highly active day. It was considerably a more healthier meal since most of its contents was vegetarian.

Mac put on a pot of water to cooked three pounds of rice and another pot to cook two pounds of frozen yellow kernel corn. In another pot she heated up two one pound cans of shell beans and wax beans.

Harm browned up two pounds of ground beef. When the rice was done, Harm added the ground beef, corn, shell beans, and wax beans to the rice and mixed them together well.

Author's note: This was a typical meal we ate when we were camping. It was a well balanced meal that tasted pretty good after being out all day having fun swimming and canoeing.

Once again AJ was the server. He made sure that everyone had a large enough portion that could satisfy a hungry marine. Loren wasn't too happy to see so much food on her plate. It had been forty eight hours since her last movement.

She felt bloated enough already. Her shorts were beginning to feel a little tight. Now she had to eat another large portion of food. While it looked more appetizing than last night's meal, it was still too much food for her to eat.

"AJ, this is too much. You should give some of it to one of the men." wailed Loren.

"Nonsense Loren. We need to put some meat on your bones. You need to fill out some. Besides there is more than enough here for everyone. Eat up!" ordered AJ.

"This is really good AJ, who planned this meal?" asked Caitlin. While she usually didn't agree with Loren, their dinner helping the last two nights were excessive for any health conscience person.

"I believe it was Harm. I'm sure you noticed all the different vegetables in the meal tonight." AJ replied.

"This is real good Harm, can I have some more." smiled Jason.

"I'm sure we can scrape some more up for you and anyone else." chuckled Harm.

For dessert they decided on having pie. There was cherry pie for the constipated group, there was blueberry pie the special people, and there was apple pie for those who had no issues. The cherry and blueberry pies had a binding agent added to them.

After dinner everyone sat around the fire for awhile talking about the day. There were some griping, but in general everybody had a good time. It wasn't often that they did things together as a group except go to Benzingers or McMurphy's Tavern.

Many of them had never gone canoeing before. Any experience they had with small water crafts had been with rowboats. They were rather clumsy and difficult to maneuver. Only one person rowed at a time. They couldn't imagine rowing six miles.

They had been amazed at how easy the canoes had moved through the water especially when they worked together. It was an activity that two people could do together. It had been fun.

Between the canoeing and the swim, they were all pretty worn out. Sleep would come easy tonight and it would be welcomed.

AJ announced to them that tomorrow's activity would be easier. All they would be doing tomorrow was taking a hike around the lake. He didn't tell them that it was a twenty five mile trek around the lake.

After the previous night many of them went to bed well before Mic. He was kept occupied by the AJ as they talked about Australia and the islands. AJ was unaware of the gift he had received that was waiting for him.

0600 hours

Friday

5 July 2002

Camp Maplewood

The next morning AJ was up early. He put on an extra strength pot of coffee. He like to call it SEAL grade coffee. It was supposed to be even stronger than marine grade. He had been constipated since he arrived at

In the past whenever he had 'the problem' he would drink three or four cups of this special brew. He didn't want to go another day without relieving himself. It wasn't long before Gunny joined him. Gunny loved the aroma of strong coffee.

"I'm surprised to see you up so early AJ. You kept Mic up long enough for the rest of us to get to sleep. We all appreciated your sacrifice." Gunny gave him a little smirk.

"It was no trouble Victor. I don't sleep more than six hours anymore most nights anyway. My doctor told me it happens to a lot of people as they get older." smiled AJ.

"That must be happening to me AJ, I've passed forty and sometimes I can't do the number two as Bud likes to say. I haven't been able to since I got here. It wouldn't be so bad, but Jason hasn't gone either and he wants to make a contest of it." moaned Gunny.

"And here I thought it was only me. I'm happy to hear that I'm not the only one who is constipated, though I suspect that Loren maybe suffering the same malady too." laughed AJ as he heard Harm and Mac coming out of their tent.

"Maybe we should ask Harm if he's responsible for our condition." grinned Gunny.

"What condition is that Victor?" asked Mac with a stern look that could kill. She didn't like the idea of an enlisted person debasing a superior officer.

"He thinks one of you is responsible for some of us being constipated." laughed AJ.

"It's probably the yogurt AJ. For those of you who aren't used to eating yogurt you might have a problem digesting it. For most people it actually helps clean your system out." replied Mac. Sometimes when you tell people the truth, they unable see it as so.

Harm and Mac went to the kitchen area and made breakfast. They cooked up two pounds of bacon, scrambled three dozen eggs, and a pot of grits. Once again they made up several strengths of coffee for the different individual preferences.

It wasn't long before everyone was up. The aroma of good coffee always got them moving in the morning. They were all served a ladle of grits, a scoop of scrambled eggs, a few strips of bacon, a glass of orange juice, and a mug of specially brewed coffee.

For once Loren was pleased to see that breakfast was light and she didn't have to over indulge. She was still disappointed that her usual movements hadn't occur after her second cup of coffee. She was usually very regular.


	6. Chapter 6

**Title: **_**A Long Weekend at Camp**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Pairing: Harm/Mac

Disclaimer: JAG is property of Belisarius productions, no copyright infringement intended.

Summary: The Admiral invites the staff to Camp Maplewood for a weekend of bonding. Harm and Mac have fun with their friends movements.

_Feedback is greatly appreciated and welcomed._

part six The long march to relief

0900 hours

After breakfast everyone took a turn at cleaning up around the camp. There was no way AJ wanted to hear back later from his friend Colonel Creswell that the Navy personnel were slobs and hadn't return the camp back to the Marines the way they found it.

"I hate to ask AJ, but what type of punishment do you have in stored for us today." asked Mic. He had been selected by the women to asked AJ. The others knew there wasn't anything AJ could do to Mic, he wasn't military anymore.

"Punishment? We haven't had any punishment details have we Jason?" asked a perplexed and annoyed AJ. This was suppose to be a bonding experience. It was the rage through out corporate America.

"No AJ. Jen and I have enjoyed being here with everyone. It's been a lot of fun. I know Victor feels the same way." smiled Jason.

"In any case today is a rest day. There won't be any strenuous activities. The only activity scheduled for today is a nice walk around the lake. Refreshments will be provide by the Marines at the halfway point." smiled AJ.

"We leave in twenty."

Gunny walked over to Harm and Mac. "I was talking with one of the Gunnies yesterday. Do you know that it's twenty five miles around the lake Ma'am?"

"I didn't know it was twenty five, but I knew it was at least ten. You better make sure everyone has plenty of water with them Victor. I don't want anyone to past out. We can't be sure how many watering stations there may be on the route." smiled Mac.

After Gunny left to get the water bottles Mac turned to Harm.

"I think now is as good a time for AJ to get a dose of laxative. It should kick in about two hours."

"You're a mean Marine Mac. I can see him diving into the bushes with Jason following closely behind him." smiled Harm. "But I think he might need a double dose. We want to make sure his system is cleanse thoroughly."

"I suppose Jason might want some too." smiled Mac.

They had been hiking for a couple of hours when Loren began to whine. She wasn't used to so much exercise and her feet were beginning to hurt. Gunny helped her off with her shoes and massaged her feet for several minutes.

"I thought today was suppose to be a rest day and we were going to take it easy." whined Loren.

"Yes Ma'am, but as you know the Admiral's idea of an easy day is a good workout for the rest of us. One of my marine buddies told me it's twenty five miles around the lake. We've probably gone about ten so far." replied Gunny.

"I'm not going to make it Gunny. It's too far. I'm tired and my feet hurt." whined Loren.

"I'm sure you'll make it ma'am. It's about two more miles to the lunch area. You'll be able to rest for an hour. That should help you recover." replied Gunny.

"Gang way!" yelled Jason as AJ ran into the underbrush. The laxative had finally working its magic. AJ only hoped that he could get to a private spot with some leaves and get his shorts down in time.

Harm and Mac shared a laugh. They felt sorry for AJ. It wasn't nice of them to have inflicted such discomfort on him, but how many times had they had to endure a tongue lashing from him. Payback was so nice.

Besides he deserved some form of punishment for causing everyone to have to endure spending time with people they didn't want to and having to walk twenty five miles on a day of rest.

1200 hours

Thirty minutes later they arrived at the midpoint where lunch was waiting for them. There was some cold beer and tonic waiting in the coolers. For lunch there was some chips and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

There was a moan from the group when they saw the food items. They had been hoping for something better. They also saw some more yogurt for dessert causing them to wonder about marine imagination.

"How are you doing AJ?" smiled Jack. He had heard about AJ's problem and his trip to the woods.

"I'm feeling so much better Jack. It seemed like I went for thirty minutes. I couldn't stop. What a relief. I had to jog for ten minutes to catch up." smiled AJ.

"Deserves you right AJ after you made me remove my load from the island." replied Jack.

"I noticed where you left it Jack. Meg wasn't too happy when she went to sleep last night." informed AJ.

"I know nothing about it AJ. Victor offered to take care of the matter for me." smiled Jack.

"What about your buddy Jason?" asked Mic. "I seemed to remember him running into the woods too."

"He was very helpful. He made sure I had plenty of leaves." laughed AJ.

Jason was a good man even if he could be silly at times. What AJ didn't know though, some of the leaves were a variety of poison oak. He would have a nice rash tomorrow where the sun doesn't sun.

"So I guess Jason hasn't done the deed yet." Mac whispered to Harm.

"I'm sure Jason will take care of business on the way back to camp." replied Harm. "I'm sure he didn't drink as much coffee this morning as the Admiral did."

They took a long lunch break even though the food was less than ideal. It had been physically a hard couple of days and AJ thought that some of them could used the extra rest time.

A few of the men used the latrine while they were there. Actually it was a hole in the ground with some toilet paper to cleanup the mess afterwards. The aroma wasn't exactly pleasant. Sturgis and Mic nearly keeled over during their visit.

It wasn't long before Jason had to used the bushes on the way back. Unlike AJ, Jason had brought along some toilet paper just in case he needed to. It had been almost three days since he had last gone. He figured he was due.

Gunny was in charge of leading the way. AJ thought he would keep a reasonable pace that everyone would be able to keep. The last thing he wanted was everyone going off half cocked. This week was supposed to be about bonding, getting to know each other better.

The 25 mile hike around the lake took almost ten hours. Everyone was exhausted from the long day. They all found a place to lie down. They had managed to stay together which pleased AJ greatly.

Harm and Mac took some time to rest before getting dinner ready. They were going to make real beef stew, not the type one could buy in the store. Everything would be fresh.

1900 hours

Friday

5 July 2002

Camp Maplewood

Mac browned up the stew beef and put a pot of water on the stove to cook the vegetables. Harm peeled ten pounds of potatoes, a pound of carrots, a pound of pearl onions, and a stalk of celery. He chopped up the potatoes, celery, and carrots before putting them into boiling water.

Ten minutes later he added the green beans and pearl onions to the pot. Five minutes later Harm added a two pound bag of peas and corn. Harm simmered the vegetables for another ten minutes before draining the water.

Meanwhile Mac was mixing some water to two cups of flour. They were going to used it to thicken the beef stew. She added it to the cooked beef and mixed well. Harm then added the vegetables to the beef. They cooked the stew for another twenty minutes.

By 2000 hours everyone was given a large portion of beef stew. Dinner smelled wonderful, but not everyone was happy about the meal.

"What's with all the vegetables Harm? You think we're all a bunch of Rabb ... its?" queried Jack getting a laugh from everyone.

"Mic seems to like it, he looking for another helping." observed Meg.

"He seems to like everything Rabb cooks." smiled AJ as he gave Mic a subtle dig.

"I'm a growing boy AJ. You have been working us pretty hard." mumbled Mic.

"Must be the fresh air. All the boys have been eating pretty good." laughed Caitlin. Although she wasn't exactly crazy about the food selection for the dinner meals, she had had worse.

Loren just stared at her plate. Another huge helping of food that she didn't much care for. She felt like she had gain five pounds since she had gotten here. She was still constipated.

"What are you laughing at Jason?" asked Gunny with a stern look.

"A though just hit me Gunny. I've heard reports from many people here about how regular they have been and that their movement was soft and ample. Yet you have been constipated since you've been here.

AJ and I were constipated for a couple of days. I was just wondering how many other people have been constipated since they have been here?" answered Jason. There was a laugh among the men.

"Guess we know who is pulling kitchen duty for the rest of the week." bellowed AJ.

"Honey are you still constipated? You haven't said anything about it today." inquired Bud to Harriet's chagrin.

"So Harriet and Loren finally have something in common, how nice." laughed Carolyn.

"Bud!" yelled Harriet. "You're sleeping on the beach tonight!"

Mac made up a special blend of coffee for Harriet, Loren, and Meg. She could see their discomfort. She gave them a double dose of laxative in the coffee. She also made sure that Skates, Carolyn, and Caitlin got some of the special brew. She had Jason and Jen serve the ladies.

As for the men she wanted them to have some fun when they participated in the last activity of the weekend. She gave Mic, Sturgis, Jason, AJ, Gunny, and Jack coffee with the binding agent in it. The thought of them having their movement delayed to the middle of the last event seemed to amuse her to no end.

She wanted to give Bud some of the coffee, but she realized that he would have a difficult time anyway. He didn't need anymore help to look foolish.

Story Time

"Anyone have any good stories about Harm and Mac?" asked AJ.

"I have one about Harm that I don't think anyone here knows about. It happened before AJ assumed command of Jag. He was in China. He was supposed to give a briefing about maritime law to a DSA agent.

He was someone you knew Jack, you met him in Cuba. He was with Harm's cougar. Harm was supposed to be sailing with your girlfriend Marie Elena Gutierrez, but she stood him up. It was a good thing since his boat got run over by a Chinese ship and he was taken prisoner. He was held for ten days before a Chinese Colonel helped him escape." orated Meg.

"That's because Marie Elena Gutierrez was with me." smiled Jack.

"Harm has a cougar? What is a cougar?" asked a confused Jason.

"How come you never told me Harm?" asked Mac.

"Cougar is a term usually associated with an older woman who likes to play mommy with younger men. I think Meg was referring to the short blond woman who worked at Jag with the funny voice." explained Jack.

"You mean Loren?" asked a confused Jason enlisting an outburst of laughter from everyone.

"No Jason, Loren is a pussy cat compared to her. She worked here when I was at Jag." replied Meg. All of a sudden a looked of fright appeared on Jason's face. His body began to shake and quiver.

"You don't mean ..... Commander Krennick?" stuttered Jason.

"The woman didn't know the meaning of the word red light. I threw her more red lights than there are on the Beltway. I almost knocked her lights out the last time I saw her in Norfolk. She had the sensitivity of a Nazi Storm trooper." replied Harm

"I thought she was kind of cute." laughed Jack.

"Where did you meet her Jack?" asked AJ.

"In Cuba AJ. I was on a secret mission for the DSA. They wanted to give a computer virus to the Iranians to make their tomcats sick. That was a very special weekend." smiled Jack.

"Harm did some maneuvers with that Lear jet that I don't think the manufacturers even thought was possible." smiled Jack

"We were on the way in to a Cuban airfield when he did a loop de loop with a Cuban MIG hot on his six who wanted to shoot us down before Harm landed the jet." added Meg as she shook her head in total disbelief.

"When we left Cuba, Harm left the cougar behind with Meg. He decided to go South instead of North. The Cuban MIG started North, but turned South and caught up to us. He then fired two missiles at us. Harm took us into a steep dive. At the last second it took two of us to pull up and the missiles just missed." smiled Jack.

"You have nine lives Harm. Danger seems to seek you out. You confront it, and escape unharmed." observed AJ.

"And you wonder why I left Jag. Every time you got away from the cougar I had deal with her anger and resentment. Even the DSA agent was scared of her." moaned Meg.

"I seem to remember Harm taking leave to go to mother Russia to search for his father. Mac decided to tag along. She told me someone had to watch his six because he was sure to get into trouble. She also told me that she spoke Russian which was supposed to help keep him out of trouble." began AJ.

"Is that what she told you AJ. We all know it was because she was in love with him. She didn't want to live the rest of her life without him. Her sixth sense probably told her he would have died if she wasn't there with him." smiled Carolyn.

"Tell us what really happened in Russia Harm." demanded Jack. He was interested. He had heard something about Harm flying a Russian MIG.

"It seemed that all the men were in love with her and the women hated her. There also seem to be a rift in the Russian spy network. I didn't know who to trust." began Harm.

"Why did you go to Russia?" asked Jennifer.

"Harm had received photographs and documentation that indicated his father had been taken to Russia after he was shot down in Vietnam." replied Mac.

"They were interested in American aircraft. Their MIGs are a copy of the F-14s." added Harm.

"We arranged through a contact to rent a MIG. We hadn't gone very far before we came across the Russian Air Force who were waiting there to shoot us down. Fortunately we ejected before being hit." sighed Mac.

"Mac doesn't like flying that fast. She gets nauseas. She's a real trooper. We met up with some gypsies and travel with them for a few days. We eventually met up with a old woman who was able to tell me about my father's last year of life. He died a hero." concluded Harm.

It wasn't long before everyone was headed to bed. Even though they were having a good time they needed to be asleep before Mic began snoring. AJ was sitting by the fire relaxing when he observed an unusual sight.

He saw Meg and Loren doing the airborne shuffle across the compound to the latrine. He had to smile because he understood what they had been going through. Still, it was an amusing sight.

Author's note: the airborne shuffle is similar to double time. One takes three short shuffling steps per second with one's feet barely coming off the ground. It's especially useful when going down a steep hill.

.


	7. Chapter 7

**Title: **_**A Long Weekend at Camp**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Pairing: Harm/Mac

Disclaimer: JAG is property of Belisarius productions, no copyright infringement intended.

Summary: The Admiral invites the staff to Camp Maplewood for a weekend of bonding. Harm and Mac have fun with their friends movements.

_Feedback is greatly appreciated and welcomed._

part seven Getting ready for the big event

0800 hours

Saturday

6 July 2002

Camp Maplewood

The next morning was more of the same Harm and Mac got up early to cook the morning meal. They cooked up platter of French Toast and a platter of blueberry pancakes. They also cooked up some sausage links and patties.

Orange juice and coffee was served with the meal. Everyone was happy with the choices and the fact that they didn't have to over eat.

"I didn't know you were such a great cook Harm." smiled Skates. "I've heard rumors about your culinary powers, but I didn't believe it. She was in a good mood and wanted to cause a little drama.

"We've had a nice selection of meals to eat Harm. It's nice not to have to eat the same meals everyday." added Caitlin.

"Thank you for your high praise ladies, but Mac was the meal planner for this weekend. She believes variety is the spice of life. She has also shared in all the cooking duty. She really is an excellent cook." Harm corrected their misperception of the situation.

"He must be in love." laughed Meg as everyone else laugh too.

After breakfast AJ gathered everyone around. He had an announcement to make that he was sure would please everyone. There were no scheduled activities planned for the morning. Everyone could relax and have a good time.

"I want to thank everyone for participating in all our scheduled activities without too much grumbling. As a reward this morning will be a free period. You're free to do anything you wish to do.

This afternoon I have scheduled a three mile run. It will be a staggered start with the slowest person starting first and another person starting a minute later. It is hoped that everyone will finish close together.

Jason will hand you all a slip of paper for you to write down your name and anticipated time of completion. If all goes well this will be the last formal scheduled activity of the weekend." informed AJ.

Harm and Mac decided to go for a canoe ride to get away from everyone. They hadn't had much time to be alone. Only when they were cooking meals together. They had hoped for four days of being alone together.

Jason and Jen went for a walk. There were too many officers around for their taste. It was hard to be themselves when everyone was watching their every move. Most of them didn't have a love life so teasing them about theirs was unavoidable.

Sturgis and Jack spent the morning arguing about which life was better, serving on an aircraft carrier flying jets or being hundreds of feet below the surface of the ocean in a death coffin breathing recycle air.

Skates didn't want to be involved with the discussion. Meg knew she didn't like submarines. She hated small confined spaces. They all decided to get away together and talk about more interesting things such as Harm and Mac.

"So do you think they're together?" asked Meg.

"They have been inseparable since they got here." replied Carolyn.

"What is their history?" asked Caitlin.

"I don't know too much, but when Harm was flying again a couple of years ago, all he did was talk about was her. I don't think he realized how much he talked about her. I was surprised to hear that she was marrying someone else last year." replied Skates.

"She was going to marry Mic. Something happened while they were in Australia and Sarah came back with his ring." offered Carolyn.

"We almost were killed when Harm tried to make it back for her wedding. The tomcat we were flying lit up like a Christmas tree. We had to eject. Thank God they found me when they did. I was really scared. They didn't find Harm until three hours later. He almost died." continued Skates.

"I wasn't here back then. Jason told me that Sarah used some special gift she has to locate him. The search and rescue teams had been looking for Harm a hundred miles away. Sarah was only off by a hundred yards." added Jen.

"Wow! I never heard about that." exclaimed Meg.

"I heard Sarah was pretty devastated when you and Harm crashed. It eventually cause Mic to go back to Oz." added Carolyn.

"I only met them six months ago. I thought they were the perfect couple. Everything seemed to come easy to them, but Chloe told me the true story about them. Sarah's life was so similar to my life growing up.

I've seen how much she has overcome and how successful she is. She has become my inspiration to turn my life around." smiled Jen.

"I think you're right about everything Jen. Even though they both had a difficult childhood, a lot of things have come easy to them, but that's because they work hard at what they do to be the best." smiled Caitlin.

"I still can't believe that they have been working together for six years." observed Meg.

"I guess anything is possible when you're in love." quipped Caitlin as everyone laughed.

1200 hours

campsite

Lunch was a light affair as Harm and Mac prepared burgers and franks for their consumption. There was chips and pretzels along with a cold pasta salad. Drinks were soda and coffee. AJ thought it wouldn't be a good idea to be drinking beer before doing a difficult obstacle course.

Mac loaded up the coffee with laxatives to abet the movement of all those involved. She had made sure everyone would be prime for an exhilarating experience this afternoon during their run.

She had put a binding agent in the dinner meal last night and breakfast meal this morning. Base on her calculations, 1430 hours was zero time.

Bud, Harriet, and Loren were talking about what to put down for their time. Loren's first inkling was to put down a faster time than Bud and Harriet. Whether or not she was capable of beating them didn't matter, she wanted AJ to see that she had confidence in herself.

"So what time are you putting down Bud?" asked Loren.

"I was going to put down something like twenty six or twenty seven minutes. As you know I don't exactly run very fast since I'm more than thirty five pounds over weight, but then a thought occurred to me. Everything we've done since we've gotten here has been much harder and longer than we have expected." replied Bud.

"What do you mean?" asked Loren. She wanted to see where his line of thinking was going. Bud could be a buffoon at times, but he usually was quite perceptive about what was going on when everyone else wasn't.

"We had to hike ten miles just to get here. Yesterday's hike around the lake took ten hours." answered Harriet.

"Not to mention the nearly three hours of canoeing followed by the afternoon swim the first day. I just think that the three mile run is just a ruse, it's going to more than just a three mile run." added Bud.

"I don't understand Bud, how can running three miles be more than running three miles? Though I do think your supposition that the Admiral might have a surprise in stored for us maybe right." replied Loren.

"This is where the marines train for their Physical Readiness Test. They include obstacles during the running part of their test. I'm sure we will be facing obstacles today during our run. I think we should include that possibility in our time estimation." explained Bud.

"Do you know what's involved in their PRT?" asked Loren.

"No, but I'm sure it will be hard and it will slow us down quite a bit. Try thinking back to basic training when they had those confidence courses for us to run and traverse." replied Bud causing Loren to wince.

"So what are you going to do, double your time?" asked Loren.

"Not quite, but I think I will add about twenty minutes to my time. Harriet may add a few more. She's had a difficult time getting back in shape after having James T. He and AJ demand a lot of her time." replied Bud.

Bud wrote down forty three minutes. He thought Loren would put down something less than forty five minutes. It nothing else he wanted to start after her even if he didn't beat her. His pride was on the line.

Loren wrote down forty five minutes. She decided to be realistic. If Bud was right there was no way she could do three miles under thirty minutes. She also thought that the obstacles wouldn't be easy.

Harriet wrote down fifty minutes. She was under no illusion that she wasn't in the best physical condition necessary to compete in a running event. Having two kids did a number on her body and taking care of them left her too tire to do the work necessary to get herself back into top physical condition.

That's not to say she didn't think she look good. In fact she loved her body. It was well rounded with ample curves. She looked very nice in her evening gown. No, she wasn't thinking about a formal gown, but her red teddy with lots of frilly lace.

Loren came across Meg, Caitlin, Carolyn, and Jen. They were talking about the three mile challenge. They were happy that this was the last physical activity for the weekend. While they worked hard to stay in shape, they weren't into the physical lifestyle usually associated with navy life.

"Smile Loren, it's only one more day." teased Caitlin.

"It's pretty hard to when you've been constipated the whole time." whined Loren.

"I've been talking with Bud. He thinks this three mile run isn't going to be just a simple three mile run. He thinks AJ has added obstacles to the run. We're adding twenty minutes to our time."

"Are you sure about that?" asked Meg.

"It just makes sense. It was a ten mile hike just to get here. Yesterday was supposed to be a nice relaxing stroll around the lake that lasted ten hours. It took three hours to canoe to an island and back. Why should this run be any different?" reasoned Loren.

"I guess you're right Loren, we should expect the unexpected." sighed Caitlin. She really didn't want to exert herself too hard.

Meg wrote down forty one minutes. She had begun to think about the possibilities. She thought about the cargo nets and crawling under barb wire. Neither one was ideal for her with her long legs. Who was she trying to kid, she hated running. That's why God created horses.

Caitlin wrote down forty minutes. She figured she could do three miles in twenty five minutes under normal conditions. She had been running a lot. She figured she could handle any obstacles that were thrown her way.

Carolyn wrote down forty two minutes. She wasn't too happy with this turn of events. She was tired. Even though Mic hadn't been snoring as bad as the first night, he still moved around a lot in his sleep. He kept bumping her and waking her up. She hadn't gotten her beauty sleep.

Jen wrote down thirty eight minutes. She hated to run, but she was in good shape. She had been running three miles with Jason everyday as he trained to become an officer. She figured that she could handle anything that the Admiral threw her way.


	8. Chapter 8

**Title: **_**A Long Weekend at Camp**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Pairing: Harm/Mac

Disclaimer: JAG is property of Belisarius productions, no copyright infringement intended.

Summary: The Admiral invites the staff to Camp Maplewood for a weekend of bonding. Harm and Mac have fun with their friends movements.

_Feedback is greatly appreciated and welcomed._

part eight What do you think

Mac, Harm, Skates, Jack, and Sturgis were sitting around the dinner table drinking coffee. It had been a good week as old friends had gotten together and had fun. Sturgis hadn't seen Jack in ten years, so it was good to see him.

"It's been nice to see you again Jack. I would have killed Loren if you hadn't been here." smiled Sturgis.

"You do make a cute couple Sturgis. I've never seen two more compatible people in my life." laughed Jack.

"So you and Harm are finally together Mac." observed Skates.

"I wouldn't sat we're together Skates, but we do hang out a lot and have fun. We're almost back to where we were before he went back to flying jets." smiled Mac.

"You can tell me the truth Mac. I think everyone here wants you both to be together, to be happy. I think even the Admiral wants you to be with Harm. He did put you in the same tent." pleaded Skates.

"There's a boy girl in every tent Skates." replied Mac.

"True, but I think that was done to cover up for you and Harm being together." argued Skates.

"I wonder what the Admiral has up his sleeve today. You know it won't be a simple three mile run." observed Harm changing the conversation away from Mac and him.

"I talked to one of the marines, AJ has five obstacles in play, a cargo net, a rope bridge, a telephone pole walk, a short swim, and crawling under some barb wire." replied Mac.

"Looks like you're going to get dirty Sturgis." laughed Jack.

"No dirtier than you old man." smirked Sturgis.

"Yeah, but I don't mind a little mud like you. You've always been anal about being clean." taunted Jack.

"That may be true when I'm in uniform, but I don't mind getting my hands dirty. Ask Harm, I helped him rebuild his corvette." replied Sturgis.

Skates wrote down thirty nine minutes. She wasn't under any illusion that she was going to run very fast. She would pace herself the best she could. She hoped that she finished somewhere in the middle of the women runners. All the ladies looked to be in great shape. They would be hard to beat.

Jack wrote down thirty two minutes. Despite his size he was a pretty good athlete. He had always done well in these type of runs. He always tried to keep an even steady pace and finish strong. He usually past many of the other sailors because they were too cocky and started out too fast.

Mac wrote down thirty minutes. She was in good shape. She had been running with Harm four times a week. She expected to beat just about everyone except for maybe Harm and Sturgis.

Harm wrote down twenty four minutes. The obstacles would be the great equalizers he thought. Sturgis would lose time every time he had to stop running. He hated having to overcome obstacles in his life.

With all the special training he had had over the last few years Harm didn't think the obstacles would slow him down at all. After all he had overcome the biggest obstacle in his life, to be with Mac.

Sturgis wrote down twenty two minutes. Why can't they do anything easy for once? Why does everything have to be difficult? Swimming? Crawling in the Mud? He also expected the telephone pole to be wet by the time he got there.

Author's note: I expect Harm and Sturgis to run a six minute pace. A realistic pace for two men in very good shape. My morning two mile jogs when I was thirty and in the Army was a little over twelve minutes. My two mile PRT was usually less than eleven minutes.

Gunny and Jason were arguing about who was going to win the race between them. Gunny thought he would because he was a marine and they were going to run a marine style race. Besides he knew Jason was a flake who never lived up to any of the hype he was always espousing.

Jason believed that he could beat Gunny because he ran Cross Country in high school. He was pretty good too since he had run two and a half miles in fourteen minutes back in the day, but that was more than ten years ago.

"Jason, we are not going to be running a simple three mile run. This is where the marines train for their PRT. There will be obstacles that will have to be overcome. Your time will be at least ten minutes slower than what you think it will be.

Don't make a fool of yourself. Pad your time Jason. If you run a better time, the Admiral will praise you for your fine effort. If you don't, he'll probably laugh at you and send you to Iceland." explained Gunny.

"Alright Gunny, I believe you. Nothing has been as simple as it should have been since we got here. What time are you going to put down?" asked Jason.

Gunny wrote down thirty one minutes. He thought he could run three miles in twenty one minutes, so he added ten minutes. He also thought that his time would be slower than normal. The last couple of days had been quite physical and taxing. It had taken something out of him.

Jason wrote down thirty minutes. He thought he was faster than Gunny, so he wrote down one less minute. He wanted to show him that he was the better man. He wanted Jen to be proud of him.

Mic wrote down thirty five minutes. He knew he could run faster, but he also knew there probably would be some obstacles. Nothing had been easy this weekend, but he had enjoyed everything about it.

He had left DC last year with a sour taste in his mouth after the aborted attempt to wed Sarah. It took him awhile before he realized that Sarah was always meant to be with Harm. He had been a fool not to see it in the first place.

Everyone had told him that Sarah and Harm were meant to be together. He had watched them together the last two days. They had something he and Sarah never seem to have. He enjoyed being here with his old friends again. He enjoyed being part of an organization.

AJ wrote down thirty six minutes. He was a realist. He wasn't very fast anymore. He relied on keeping a steady pace to get the job done. He knew he could probably run faster, but he also knew his body wasn't capable of attacking the obstacles like he once did many years ago. There would be much more effort to complete them.

1400 hours

Marine Obstacle Course

AJ had Gunny and Jason gathered everyone at the start of the obstacle course. It was time for the big race. He wanted to find out who was cocky and who didn't believe in themselves.

AJ was took the slips from everyone. He was surprised to see the times that were written down on the slips. He expected to see much lower times than the ones he saw. Obviously they all suspected something. Then again many of them were very intelligent people.

He saw that his estimated time was about middle of the pack, just about where he wanted to be. He smiled when he saw that Mac's time was one of the fastest time listed. He wanted to tell everyone that the run would include obstacles that were easily manageable for everyone.

"This morning I asked everyone for a time they believed that they could run three miles in. The reason for that was I wanted to stagger the starting times for everyone. The slowest people will be going first.

The goal is for everyone to finish the race within a reasonable period of time of each other so we don't have to wait very long for anyone. As many of you must have suspected there will be obstacles on the course. All toll there will be five of them.

The first obstacle you will encounter, entails climbing a thirty foot high cargo net and then walking a one hundred and fifty yard rope bridge. At the end of the bridge you will slide down a rope to the ground.

The second obstacle you will encounter, will require you to run along the top of a telephone pole that are lain horizontally on post through a swamp for two hundred yards. It is possible that some of you might fall in. The water is only suppose to be three to four feet deep. You should be able to get back onto the pole.

The third obstacle you will encounter, will be a short swim of one hundred yards. It shouldn't be a problem since you all completed the swim the first day.

The fourth obstacle you will encounter, will be a rope climb up a rope to a foot bridge forty feet high. It will cross a cavern of one hundred and fifty yards. At the end of the bridge you will zip line back to the start of bridge.

The last obstacle you will encounter, will entail crawling two hundred yards under barb wire through a mud pit. You will need to be careful as the mud pit will get deeper as you go along.

I know it will be a challenge, but I have confidence in all of you. Base on the times you have given me, there will be three groups.

The first group will consist of Harriet, Loren, Bud, Carolyn, Meg, Caitlin, Skates, and Jen. You will start one minute after each other. Good luck.

The second group will start three minutes after Jen. The second group will consist of AJ, Mic, Jack, Victor, Mac, and Jason. You will start ninety seconds apart.

I need some separation between Victor and Jason. That's why I put Mac in between them. I don't want them to hurt themselves like they did the last time when they ran the Jagathon a couple years ago.

The last group will consist of Harm and Sturgis. They will start five minutes behind Jason. Harm, you will get a two minute head start on Mr. Turner. That will be your penance for being so cocky." grinned AJ.

"You got to be kidding AJ. The race will be over before I even get started." whined Sturgis.

"Not likely since you're only spotting your partner twenty three minutes. She doesn't expect to be to the halfway point until then. Suck it up Sturgis, you don't hear anyone else complaining." replied AJ with a big smile.

3 miles obstacles every 0.5 mile intervals

__

30 foot cargo net to 150 yd rope bridge the slide down a 30 foot rope

200 yard telephone pole run through the swamp

100 yard swim

40 foot rope climb up to a 150 yard foot bridge to a 100 yard zip line 200 yard crawl under barb wire in the mud

run to finish

__

time is read as first two digits are the minutes followed by the last two digits as the seconds.


	9. Chapter 9

****

Title: **_A Long Weekend at Camp_**

Author: _red rooster dawn_

Summary: The Admiral invites the staff to Camp Maplewood for a weekend of bonding. Harm and Mac have fun with their friends movements.

part nine The race begins

0000 Minutes

Everyone meandered over to the starting line for the start of the race. Most of them seemed to be pleased with the starting order and the time interval between racer. Well everyone except Sturgis.

He liked to win or at the very least a chance to win. He knew he couldn't give everyone such a large head start and still have a chance to win. Most of the people her were in very good shape.

From what he heard of the obstacles, they weren't so bad. It would be very hard to make up much time on any of them. Only the last one crawling two hundred yards through the mud seemed to be demanding.

Harriet was the first one to start. She went out at a comfortable pace. She didn't have any unrealistic expectations that she could win. She only wanted to finish. She thought that if she took her time she would do okay.

One thing she realized this week was that she was in much better physical shape than she thought and that she was capable of meeting whatever challenge the Admiral threw her way. It wasn't long before she reached the cargo net.

She looked back to see where Loren was. It appeared that Loren was still several hundred yards behind. Harriet thought she should be able to climb the cargo net and be at least half way across the bridge before Loren arrived.

She took her time and made sure she put her foot onto one of the rope sections. She didn't want to misstep. She got up to the top rather quickly, maybe thirty seconds. When she got to the platform she was surprised at what she saw.

There were four rope bridges stretched across a cavern. Each bridge was comprised of three long cables. Two were three feet above a third for each hand to hold onto and one to walk on.

She felt a little uneasy as this task was going to be harder than she had hoped. She would go slow and steady. Slow and steady finishes the race.

0100 Minutes

Loren was the next one to start. She wanted to catch up to Harriet. She wanted to beat at least one person. Harriet might be the only one she could beat. She wanted to beat Bud too, but she didn't know if she could. Bud always seemed to do better than what everyone thought he was capable of doing.

She took off at a quick pace. She felt she needed to make up ground during the running phases of the challenge. She wasn't sure how she would do on any of the obstacles.

She rounded the final corner and saw Harriet near the top of the cargo net. It seemed to her that she had made up some time. She took her time climbing the cargo net making sure of her footing.

When she got to the top of the cargo net she looked at her watched. She had gained twenty seconds on Harriet. She saw Harriet was half way across the bridge. A Marine directed her to take one of the other bridges.

She sighed as she realized this wasn't going to be easy. She feared that she might fall if she wasn't careful. She would start off slowly and hopefully speed up as her confidence increased.

0200 Minutes

Bud was the third person to start. He had wondered how fast he should try to run. If it was a true three mile run, he would have to pace himself if he was to complete the race.

Upon analysis however he realized that at each obstacle he wouldn't be running so he would get a breather. He could then afford to run a little faster because he would have some time to recuperate and get his breathing under control.

When he rounded the final corner and he saw Loren climbing the cargo net. He was catching up to her. He smiled when he saw Harriet almost across the bridge. She was doing a good job. She was succeeding.

He quickly climbed the cargo net to the platform where he was directed by a marine to take the third bridge so he wouldn't be on same one as Loren or Harriet. He quickly made his way across the bridge. This was fun he thought.

0300 Minutes

Carolyn was the fourth person to start. She was under no allusions as to why she was here. She would do her best. If she caught up to someone, fine. If she didn't, well that was okay too. She could only assume that eventually someone would catch her.

When she finally rounded the final turn she saw Bud walking along the bridge at a good clip. She was impressed. She didn't think that Bud had that kind of coordination.

She quickly climbed the cargo net to where a marine directed her to one of the bridges to cross. She felt a little uneasy about the rope bridge, but knew she shouldn't have too much trouble in transversing the bridge.

0400 Minutes

Meg was the fifth person to start. She wasn't in any real hurry. She would pace herself. She would let Kate catch up with her so that they could run together. Wasn't that what this weekend was all about?

It had been a good week. She had seen her best friend Kate again. She had also seen Harm, the best partner she ever had. She had hoped to spend some alone time with him, but it didn't appear that was going to happen.

It seemed that he was seriously involved with his current partner of six years. They spent a lot of time together. It seemed that everyone had a favorite story to tell about them. Despite her disappointment she was happy for Harm.

Sarah was a very beautiful and intelligent woman. She had noticed the looks that they shared between them. She seemed to make him very happy. She wished she had a man so she could be as happy.

She got to the cargo net quickly scaled it with her long legs. When she reached the platform she saw Carolyn a little more than halfway across. Bud was shimming down the rope. She quickly moved across the rope bridge. She had cross this type of bridge many times growing up in Texas.

0500 Minutes

Caitlin was the sixth person to start. Her goal was to catch up to Meg and run the race with her. It would make the day a little more enjoyable if she was doing something she didn't like with a friend. The pain would be lessen and it wouldn't last as long.

It had been nice to see Meg again. They always had fun together especially when it concerned Harm. They had plenty of stories to tell about him. Along with Jack they had played a couple of pranks on deserving friends.

It might also help them catch up to the people ahead of them. Bud, Harriet, and Loren weren't known to have great stamina or endurance. If she worked with Meg, they would catch up to them sooner.

And who knows maybe they might even win the race. Harm and Sturgis were starting almost twenty minutes behind them. If they were quicker than expected doing the obstacles they could beat them.

0600 Minutes

Skates was the seventh person to start. On the one hand she felt good about herself. Base on her starting position she was considered one of the better women. On the other hand she might be one of the first women passed by the men.

She wasn't a fool. She knew all the men were in great shape. She also knew that they were highly competitive. They wouldn't want to be beaten by a woman. She would be one of the first women they would see.

She only hoped that she had a large enough lead to hold them off until the end. She was also kind of confused as to why she was giving the other women such a big lead. They all looked to be in excellent shape to her.

Surely it must be easier to stay in shape when your duty assignment was land base. It wasn't easy to run on an aircraft carrier, especially with five thousand men watching your every move.

She rounded the curve to see Caitlin up ahead scampering on the bridge. She looked to be moving along pretty quickly. It shouldn't be too bad she thought. She quickly climbed the cargo net and saw the rope bridge.

It wasn't exactly what she was hoping for. She would be expected to walk along a single strand of cable, not exactly a comforting feeling. But the marine told her that no one had fallen yet.

0700 Minutes

Jennifer was the eight person to start. She was the last person to start in the first group. She didn't know whether to feel good about that or whether she was a big fool to believe in herself that much.

Her confidence in herself had grown over the last year due to working with Bud and the Colonel. Mac, what the Colonel liked to be called, was a great inspiration for her. She had overcome a similar upbringing and had become one of the most successful woman in the Marines.

She didn't believe in excuses. You were the only one responsible for your life and who you wanted to be. If you wanted to be successful and happy, it was up to you to make it happen.

She thought she had a good chance today of being successful. She had been running with Jason nearly everyday since she got to JAG. He was a good friend who made her feel very good about herself.

He wasn't demanding of her. He didn't demand things from her like the other men in her life. Instead all he wanted to do was make her happy in any manner that he could. He was such a sweet person. She loved him very much.

Jen got to the cargo net and scaled it easily. She had been in a gymnastics program when she was younger. She used to use those skills to get away from anyone who chased her. She quickly made her way across the rope bridge.

0930 Minutes

It took awhile, but Harriet slowly crossed the bridge one step at a time. She cringed when she saw the only way to get back down to the ground was to shimmy down a rope.

She looked back to see Loren two thirds the way across the bridge. She could see Bud making his way across the third bridge. She smiled as she realized Bud was enjoying the exercise. He was making good time.

She shimmied down the rope and took off at a quicker pace than before. She figured Loren probably would catch her before the race was over, but she would make it harder for Loren. She would make Loren 'Earn It'.

0950 Minutes

Loren got to the end of the bridge and looked down. She didn't like the idea of shimming down the rope, but what could she do. She looked out and saw Harriet running quickly down the trail. She looked back and was surprised to see that Bud was not very far behind.

She decided she better get a move on. She didn't want Bud to catch her before she caught Harriet. She shimmied down the rope and took off quickly. She had to get to the next obstacle before Bud, she just had to.

1000 Minutes

AJ was the ninth person to start, but before he did he had a visit from Jason. AJ wondered why any time he was trying to focus on the task at hand, Jason would find a way to interrupt him. It was trait he had unfortunately passed onto Jennifer.

"Sir, I think you should take this." smiled Jason.

"What is it?" asked AJ a little peeved.

"Toilet paper Sir. In case you have to go." replied Jason.

"I doubt very much I will have the need Jason. It's not something I normally do when I exercise." observed AJ.

"That may very well be true normally Sir, but you have been constipated most of this week. Have you gone yet today Sir?" asked Jason

Knowing that he had lost this particular discussion he accepted Jason's generous offering and put it in his pocket. He only hoped that he would be able to focus on what he had to do now. His train of thought had been destroyed.

Whatever plans he had to run this race was gone. He could only hope that he would do okay. He took off running at a comfortable pace. He tried to go a little quicker knowing that there would be rest period during the race.

He didn't want to wait until the end to catch up with the women. They all were in excellent shape. Three miles wasn't that long. They might not tire that easily. Besides he didn't know how much energy he would have at the end.

When he rounded the turn he saw Jennifer running away. She had already completed the first obstacle. As he thought none of his people were going to be caught that easily. He climbed the cargo net and moved quickly over the rope bridge.

1005 Minutes

Bud moved across the rope bridge quickly. He was right behind Loren. He was so close he could smell her perfume, it was so nasty he thought. It was nothing like Harriet's.

He shimmied down the rope and ran after Loren. He would run quickly, but he would also maintain control of his breathing. It was the one thing Sturgis told him that was important when running, control your breathing

They still had a long ways to go. He didn't want to pass her now only to see her passed him before the finish. He looked behind to see that Carolyn was on the bridge.

1120 Minutes

Carolyn made it across the bridge. She felt good about herself. It hadn't been as hard as she thought it could be. She looked back to see Meg crossing the bridge. She shimmied down the rope and took off running.

She was in no hurry. Sooner or later she believed that she would catch Loren and Harriet. She wasn't quite sure about Bud. She had heard rumors that he had been training with Sturgis for weeks. Besides most men were tougher and more competitive than what everyone else thought they were.


	10. Chapter 10

****

Title: **_A Long Weekend at Camp_**

Author: _red rooster dawn_

Summary: The Admiral invites the staff to Camp Maplewood for a weekend of bonding. Harm and Mac have fun with their friends movements.

part ten The challenge continues

1130 Minutes

Mic was the tenth person to start. He knew he wasn't the fastest runner in the world, but he was in excellent shape if he did say so himself. He was five feet eleven inches, two hundred ten pounds of prime beefcake.

He figured he would make up time doing the obstacle part of the course. It had been a good week for him as he had renewed acquaintances with many of the people he had worked with at JAG. Many of them were happy to see him again.

Even Mac surprised him. He thought she would have been angry at seeing again, but she wasn't. In fact she seemed to be quite happy, even happier than she was when they were together. Harm must have something to do with it.

He always thought there was something between them. Maybe Harm finally took the stick out of his six and was with Mac now. Mac deserved to be happy she was a very special lady. He thought he was very fortunate to have had her in his life even if was only for a short time.

He chugged along the path coming to the cargo nets which he easily scaled. He had made up time on the Admiral. He was a little more than halfway across. It wouldn't be long before he caught him.

1240 Minutes

Meg took her time crossing the bridge. She didn't want to slip and hurt herself. Besides she didn't want to make it too hard for Kate to catch up. She wanted to do this run together with Kate.

She turned and saw that Kate was halfway across the bridge. She shimmied down the rope and continued on. She didn't want to fall too far behind Carolyn. It would difficult enough as it was to catch her without letting farther ahead.

1255 Minutes

Harriet's quicker paced allowed her to get to the next obstacle ahead of Loren. She took a quick look behind her to see Loren had fallen back a little. She was pleased with that revelation. She started across the log bridge that ran through the swamp.

She thought of herself as someone with good balance. She would try to move quicker across this obstacle. The logs were ten inches in diameter as to only two inches for the rope. She would try to shuffle her feet quickly along the logs.

1300 Minutes

Jack was the eleventh person to start. He was quite please with himself to be one of the last people to start. It had been a good week even though he didn't like pretending to be a marine.

He wasn't a fan of camping, but he had enjoyed the company immensely. He always love spending time with Harm and Mac. They were good people, especially Harm his best friend. Mac reminded him of Diane, which had him thinking about his academy days.

They were the best years of his life despite the anal retentive attitude of the senior instructors. Even seeing Sturgis again was good. It had been ten years since he had last seen him. He was always good to play jokes on.

He enjoyed the different activities they had participated in. He enjoyed the time he spent with everyone telling stories and having fun. He was going to miss the company of all these fine people.

He quickly covered the half mile coming to the cargo nets. He scaled the net quickly and was quickly across the rope bridge. He wasn't concern with anyone behind him. He wanted to catch the smug Aussie. If he didn't beat anyone else, he wanted to be him.

1305 Minutes

Loren came around the turn and saw Harriet moving quickly. She had picked up a few more seconds on Harriet. She looked back and saw Bud. He was gaining on her. She could only hope that she could transverse the log bridge quickly.

She was directed to use a different log bridge than the one Harriet was using. She quickly shuffled along. She wanted to catch Harriet before she left the bridge. If she did, she would be leading the race if only for a short period.

1320 Minutes

Bud was pleased with himself. He was running better than he had expected. He found himself gaining on Loren. If he was lucky he would past her on the log bridge.

He looked ahead and saw that Harriet was almost a hundred yards ahead. Loren looked to be halfway between Harriet and him. They were both moving pretty well.

The marine directed him to the third bridge. This was easy he thought as he was almost running. He thought back to what Gunny called this type of running. Oh yeah, he was doing the airborne shuffle.

Caitlin finished crossing the rope bridge. She had seen Meg up ahead of her. She didn't seemed to be running too quickly. She hoped it wouldn't be long before she caught up to Meg so that they finish the race together.

1420 Minutes

Carolyn made good time on the second leg of the run. She was in a good groove and felt like she was running faster this leg. She saw Loren and Harriet nearing the end of the bridge. She couldn't tell who was ahead.

She could see that Bud was catching up. It looked like he would pass them soon. But then it happened, she saw Bud take a header into the swamp. She hoped that he was okay. Maybe she could catch up to him if she hurried.

The marine directed Carolyn to take the last bridge not taken. She was running along the bridge quickly. It wasn't that hard. She had been a gymnast in grade school. She could always run on the balance beam.

1430 Minutes

Gunny was the twelfth person and first marine to start. He had been pumping himself up for the race. Semper Fi was on the line. There was only two marines in the group, him and the Colonel. He wanted to do good by her.

He also wanted to beat Jack and Mic. Jack was a blow heart. He had many stories to tell, but could he do anything physical. He was after all only jet jockey. They sat on their six while they were at work and slept on it the rest of the day.

He was about to start when Jason came up to him. What did he want now? He hoped he wasn't going to tell him that he was going to beat him. He had a three minute head start on Jason. He doubt Jason could make up the time.

"What do you want Jason?" asked Gunny impatiently.

"I have some toilet paper for you." smiled Jason.

"What do I need toilet paper for Jason? I'm not going to the latrine." replied Gunny.

"You have been constipated all week. You haven't gone today. I think it's a good idea to take some with you. I gave some to the Admiral. You might as well be prepare just in case." grinned Jason

Gunny was a little peeved. Jason had distracted him long enough and he was late getting started. He took off running faster than he had intended letting his emotions take over. It wasn't long before he was at the first obstacle.

He scaled the cargo net with ease and started across the rope bridge. He could see Jack at the end of the bridge getting ready to shimmy down the rope.

Skates was finally across the rope bridge. It shouldn't have been so hard. She had always thought crossing a rope bridge would be easy. She had seen many people do it before on television.

She looked back to see that Jennifer had made up a lot of ground on her. She was already halfway across the bridge. She looked like she was moving along quite quickly and smoothly.

She went down the rope quickly and took off running. It was the only way she knew that she could gain back the time she had lost on the bridge.

1500 Minutes

Jennifer had completed crossing the rope bridge. She could sense that she was catching up to Skates. If that was true then she was probably catching up to everyone else. She felt a surge of glee at the thought. Jason would be so proud of her.

She took a look back and saw that the Admiral hadn't reached the bridge yet. She had confidence that she would catch those in front of her before the Admiral caught her. She was down the rope and running hoping to put even more distance between them.

Harriet didn't dare look back. She was afraid that if she did, she might fall off the bridge. There was one thing she did know, Loren was getting closer, she could hear her feet pounding on the bridge.

Loren caught up to Harriet by the end of the bridge. Her motivation had been to catch Harriet before Bud caught her. She had accomplished her goal, but she knew Bud was close behind. She could hear his heavy footsteps pounding on the bridge behind her.

She didn't know how far behind he was because she was afraid that she would fall off if she took her eyes off the narrow bridge. She was about to say something to Harriet when she heard a splash.

She turned around to see water splashing up over the bridge and Bud was no where in sight. He must have fallen off in his rush to catch up to her.

"What happened?" asked Harriet. She had heard the splash too.

"I think Bud fell in. He wasn't too far behind me." replied Loren.

"We should help him." wailed Harriet.

"He'll be okay. There's a marine standing right behind you that will help him if he needs help. It's part of the game Harriet. He would want you go on." replied Loren as she took off running. She could see someone crossing the bridge quickly. She needed to take advantage of being on dry land.

While Harriet wanted to wait to see if Bud was alright, she knew Loren was right. She turned and started running again. Her goal was to stay with Loren and not let her get too far ahead.

1540 Minutes

Meg ran the second leg a little quicker than the first leg. She didn't want to fall too far behind Carolyn. She also wanted Kate to run quicker to catch her. They didn't want any of the men to catch them too soon.

1550 Minutes

Bud had been moving quickly across the bridge. He was catching up to Loren and Harriet quickly. He was only a few steps away when he felt the urge. Once again he felt the movement coming. He didn't know what to do.

In the process of thinking about the movement he lost focus of what he was doing. His foot miss the log and into the swamp he went. Might as well pulled down his pants he thought and release his load.

It wasn't long before Carolyn caught up to Bud. She had seen him fall into the swamp. As she ran by Bud she yelled out "Are you alright Bud?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just had to use the facilities." replied Bud as he hopped back onto the bridge.

Carolyn finish crossing the bridge and was back to running again. She had caught Bud. Now it was time to catch up to Harriet and Loren. She could sense that she would soon be leading the race if only for a short time.

1600 Minutes

Mac was the thirteenth person to start. She was a little concern with giving so many people such so big a head starts. It meant she would probably have to run faster than she wanted to considering that there were obstacles to tackle.

She would have to attack the obstacles more leading to the possibility of screwing up. Her salvation was the secret ingredient that everyone consumed this afternoon at lunch. It was the great equalizer. She laughed at that thought.

Of course since she was starting near the back of the pack, she could spend more time with Harm. They had gone off to be by themselves until the appropriate time. They shared a kiss or two before heading to the starting line.

Mac ran quickly. She got to the first obstacle in time to see Gunny nearing the end. She quickly scaled the cargo net and started down the rope bridge. She had done this many times in the past. She had gotten quite good.

She figured if she could catch Gunny, she would catch most of the others. Gunny would run a good smart race. He wouldn't be distracted by Jason since he wasn't running with him. He would set a good pace that she would eventually overcome.

1610 Minutes

Caitlin was making good time. She wanted to catch up to Meg. She looked ahead to see Meg was halfway across the log bridge. She was surprised to see Bud near the end of the bridge in the water. She saw Carolyn running away. She wondered what had happened to Bud.

She would have to wait until she caught up to Meg to find out. This was easy as she ran over the bridge. She was sure she would make up time on the others that were ahead of her.


	11. Chapter 11

****

Title: **_A Long Weekend at Camp_**

Author: _red rooster dawn_

Summary: The Admiral invites the staff to Camp Maplewood for a weekend of bonding. Harm and Mac have fun with their friends movements.

part eleven Keep on trucking

1630 Minutes

AJ got to the end of first obstacle. He felt good. He hadn't gone out too fast, yet he had made up time on Jennifer. He had seen her on the bridge when he got there. He felt like he could keep up the pace and make further gains.

He shimmied down the rope and took off running. He quicken the pace a little. He wanted to catch up to Jennifer before the swim. He knew he could pass her there, he was a much better swimmer.

1720 Minutes

Meg got across the bridge quickly. She like the idea that she could catch Bud if she hurried. She saw Bud getting back on the bridge as she passed him. What had he been doing.

She looked back to see where Kate was and was surprised to see that she had almost caught up to her. Was Kate that good or had she crossed the bridge slower than she thought? Whatever, she needed to keep going. The only way she was going to catch the others was to keep on running.

Mic got to the end of rope bridge. He thought he had done well and might be catching up to AJ. This was fun he thought. He wondered how everyone else was doing. He had made up a lot of ground on AJ, but could he keep it up.

1730 Minutes

Jason was the fourteenth person to start. He knew it wasn't going to be easy to catch Gunny. He had a three minute head start. He thought back to his high school days when his coach told him he had to stay in contact.

If he did, then he could catch the next runner before the end. He needed to sight the Colonel. If he did sooner or later she would catch Gunny and then he would too. When he turned the corner he saw her shimmying down the ropes. God is she good.

He quickly scaled the cargo net and made his way across the bridge. Contact! He had to maintain contact with the Colonel. It was the only way he was going to catch Gunny.

After Bud got back on the bridge he took a look back. He saw Meg was about to pass him on the bridge. Caitlin was right behind her. He finished crossing the bridge almost two minutes after Carolyn had finished. He had lost more than two minutes due to the movement.

He would have to work hard to catch up with the ladies ahead of him, especially Carolyn. She had caught up to him from behind. She had to be doing quite well. He wouldn't be surprise to see her catch Loren and Harriet before the next obstacle.

Caitlin moved very quickly across bridge. It seemed that she was gaining on Meg with every step. It wouldn't be long before she caught up to her friend. She saw Meg pass Bud. What had he been doing? She caught him at the end of the bridge. She would catch her on this leg of the run and they would run together the rest of the way.

Skates reached the second bridge. She could see Meg and Caitlin up ahead of her. She was puzzled as to why she hadn't made up any time on her. She had been running really well. She should have gotten closer.

Then again Caitlin had almost caught Meg. She must be doing pretty well too. She resigned herself to the fact that all she do was her best. If kept up her pace eventually she would catch up to them or so she hoped.

1750 Minutes

Jen reached the second obstacle. She was booking. She had made up a lot of time. Skates wasn't too far ahead of her now. She quickly scampered across the bridge keeping pace with Skates. It wouldn't be long she thought before she caught her.

1830 Minutes

Jack reached the end of rope bridge. This was easy he thought. He wasn't even winded yet. He thought he would catch the blimey Aussie. Mic was very muscle bound. While he looked good physically, he wasn't in shape aerobically. Besides he wasn't a young man, he would tire quickly.

1850 Minutes

Skates got across the bridge very quickly. The marine told her she one of the fastest so far to transverse the bridge. Many of the marines who trained there couldn't do any better. That made her feel good.

It gave her the lift she needed to keep on working hard. She looked back to see Jen right behind her. She was shocked. How had Jen caught up to her so quickly. She quickly started running the third leg. She hoped that she could stay ahead of Jen until the swim.

1900 Minutes

Jen scampered across the second bridge. Catching Skates was her motivation and she wasn't very far behind. The marine, who standing there watching to make sure no one got hurt, was shocked to see Jen flying over the bridge.

He had never seen anyone move so quickly. Then again he had been told that women had very good balance. They seemed to do impossible stunts on the balance beam. He had once seen a woman do three backward summersaults in a row.

1920 Minutes

AJ reached the second obstacle. He was surprised that he didn't see anyone on the bridge. He asked the marine who was standing there "Am I that slow?"

"No Sir. Except for the first three runners, they all were scampering across the bridge as fast as any marine that I have seen. They all made good time especially the last two. Though one person did fall in." smiled the marine.

He didn't have to be told, it had to be Bud. He would be trying to catch up to Loren and lose focus thus falling into the swamp.

1940 Minutes

Gunny got across the first obstacle like it was child's play. He had made good time. He had done this many times over the years. This was his type of race. He felt that he was catching up to the fat boy.

It wouldn't be long he thought. He had seen him before he shimmied down the rope. What he didn't know was Mac was quickly catching him. He hadn't looked back. If he had he might have run much faster.

2000 Minutes

Mic moved along at a quick pace. He knew he had to be catching up to AJ. AJ was much older than he was. He would be pacing himself. He would be running slower. He got to second obstacle and saw that AJ was about half ways across the bridge.

He smiled, it wouldn't be long before he caught him. He hadn't had so much fun since he was in the Aussie Navy several years ago. He had to make sure that he thanked AJ for inviting him to join the group this weekend. Maybe he would even let AJ win if it was close.

2050 Minutes

Mac got to end of first obstacle. It had been child's play to her. She had made good time across and had caught her breath. She shimmied down the rope taking a look as she went. She could see Jason coming into view. She needed to keep up the hard pace if she was going to catch Gunny and then Jack.

2055 Minutes

AJ moved quickly across bridge. His people had done an excellent job showing the jarheads that squids were the best. He tried not to think too much because he had to focus on the subject at hand, but he wondered who had been the one to fall in.

It was possible that any one of the three could have fallen in. None of them were particularly athletic though he was betting on Bud. The other two would be more careful.

When he got to the end he asked the marine how far behind he was. He was shocked to hear that he nearly two minutes behind Jen. He thought he was catching up to her. Was she really that fast?

Then he remember something that Jason had told him. Jason was always telling him something. He tried not to listen. He usually ended up with a headache if listened too long. What was it? He and Jen had been running three miles together everyday for a couple of months. Damm!

Jack reached the second obstacle. He saw that Mic was half way across the bridge. What surprised him even more was that AJ had just finished crossing the bridge.

Had AJ gotten that old so quickly or was he really running a very good race. Either way it didn't matter. He would catch them both before it was over.

2110 Minutes

Loren was the first one to leave the second bridge due to Harriet's concern for Bud falling into the water. She took off quickly with the idea of distancing herself from Harriet.

Instead she started too hard and was quickly winded. She had to slow down. She couldn't run fast anymore. All she could do was put one foot in front of the other and hope to make it to the next obstacle before she had to stop.

Harriet took off after Loren. She wasn't going to let her beat her. Unfortunately like Loren she started faster than her ability to sustain the pace. She had to slow down also.

She was able however to stay with Loren and she reached the third obstacle a few seconds after Loren, but she made up the lost time during the swim.

2120 Minutes

Meanwhile Carolyn ran a more even pace after completing the second obstacle. She had seen Loren and Harriet take off. She knew they wouldn't be able to maintain the pace.

She shook her head wondering why two sensible people would try to do more than they were capable of. They had been running a smart race until then. She was able to make up some time on the run.

Because of her even pace she was able to swim the hundred yards much faster than Harriet and Loren. She hadn't tired herself out as they had. She was only ten seconds behind after the swim.

It wouldn't be long before she was ahead of them and be the leader of the pack. She knew Loren and Harriet had overextended themselves and wouldn't be contenders. But she couldn't be too overconfident. One of the marines had told her that Bud was swimming quite well and was catching up.

2140 Minutes

Mic scampered over the bridge pretty quickly. He couldn't tell if he was making up any ground on the bridge, but hr figured that he would close the gap on the next leg of the run.

When he completed second obstacle he turned around to see where Jack was. He was surprised to see that Jack was catching up to him. Damm! He thought. He wouldn't hear the end of it if Jack beat him. It was bad enough losing to Harm, but to lose to Jack too would be too much.

2200 Minutes

Gunny was running a steady pace. At all the obstacles his fellow marines had given him encouragement cheering him on. As much as he liked to think that the officers were soft bellied squids he suddenly realized that they were all much younger than he was except for the Admiral.

He was forty three while the commanders were only thirty six. Jason was only thirty. As for the women most of them were between thirty one and thirty four. Jen and Harriet were the only in their twenties.

No wonder why it was so tough to catch them. No wonder why he didn't like to run as much as he used to. He was getting old. As he reached second obstacle he saw Jack finishing.

He was going to have to change his strategy if he was going to catch the commander. He had to get the thought out of his head that he was too old to complete with these soft bellied squids. If he didn't Jason would catch him.

2220 Minutes

Jack had a smile on his face. He could see the distance between him and the blimey Aussie was getting smaller. All he had to do was keep up a good steady pace and remember to control his breathing.

The bubblehead was good for at one thing, he knew something about running. He completed second obstacle quickly and was off after Mic. He felt like he would catch him by the end of the next obstacle. Muscle bound meatheads sooner or later slowed down and when they did it was all over.

2230 Minutes

Harm was the fifteenth person to start. He had gotten word that four of the runners had already completed the swim. That was the halfway mark. He knew he had his work cut out for him, but he also realized that the leaders would begin slowing down. They wouldn't be able to keep up the pace.

He wasn't worried. It had been a good day so far. He had spent most of the morning alone with Mac. He spent more time later with his friends. They had come a long way to spend time with him. It was the least he could do to spend some quality time with them.

He ran a fast pace to the first obstacle and quickly climbed the cargo net and was across the bridge. He knew he probably wouldn't see Jason until at least the swim. He wasn't worried. He was in great shape. He would catch everyone before the end.

2240 Minutes

Jason got to the end of first bridge. It hadn't been too bad. He had slipped once while he climbed the cargo net. Walking across the rope bridge wasn't too bad once he realized he wasn't going to fall.

He needed to run fast. He needed to stay in contact with the Colonel. He needed to catch Gunny. He wasn't concerned about the Commander. He had a three minute head start. The Commander might catch him, but it wouldn't be before he caught Gunny.


	12. Chapter 12

****

Title: **_A Long Weekend at Camp_**

Author: _red rooster dawn_

Summary: The Admiral invites the staff to Camp Maplewood for a weekend of bonding. Harm and Mac have fun with their friends movements.

part twelve

2245 Minutes

It wasn't long before Caitlin caught up to Meg. They agreed to run together the rest of the way to the finish. When they got to the pool they could see Harriet and Loren completing the swim. Carolyn wasn't too far behind.

They made quick work of the swim. They both had always been strong swimmers. They had gained a lot of time on the others. They were only a minute and a half behind Harriet now. Soon she would be caught.

Bud picked up his pace. He needed to keep pace with Meg and Caitlin. He didn't want to run too fast, but it was the only way to catch up to Harriet and Loren. He believed that if he did,

he could encourage Harriet to stay strong and complete the course. And if they were lucky they would beat Loren together. When he got to the pool for the swimming event he could see the ladies had finished swimming.

The marine sent him to fourth lane. He knew he could make up some time because he was a strong swimmer. He was beginning to feel good again. He would soon be in the lead.

2310 Minutes

Mac was moving right along. She was running a little quicker than she wanted, but what could she do. She needed to start catching everyone. They all had a big head start.

She still couldn't believe that she was spotting Mic almost a five minutes head start. He was a pompous ass, but he wasn't in bad shape. It would be hard to catch him. She reached second obstacle.

She was a little surprised to see that Gunny was almost done crossing the bridge. She thought she would have much closer to him. She quickly went across the bridge. The marine who was there yelled to her "Go Marine, you're catching them!"

2330 Minutes

Gunny completed the second obstacle. It wasn't as easy as it look. He could remember back in the day when he ran ten miles with the recon marines. He would focus running on the line. It made it easier for him.

Now he was afraid of falling off the poles. They had to be almost a foot across. What was the problem. Getting old that was the problem. You start to lose confidence in your ability.

That was one of the things he liked about Jason, he kept him young. He turned around to see if the Colonel was catching up. She was already on the bridge. She looked like she was moving pretty fast. He better get a move on.

2335 Minutes

Skates continued to run strong. She wanted to catch up with the others. When she got to the pool she saw Meg and Caitlin swimming. They were almost done. Jen had passed her on the run and was in the water.

She was upset that Jen had caught her, but then again Jen was much younger than she was. She had been running with Jason. It was hard to run on a ship. Skates utilized her strong powerful strokes to pass Jen and closed the gap on Meg and Caitlin. She was only a minute behind.

2345 Minutes

Jen had run a good leg. She had passed Skates before they reached the swim. She felt really good about herself. Unfortunately she wasn't as good a swimmer as Skates. She had grown up in the city. She didn't go to the pools to swim.

If she went to the beach it was to get a tan. But she didn't do that very often because she seemed to attract the unwanted attention from too many womanizers like Commander Brumby. She finished the swim a few meters behind Skates.

She was confident that she would catch everybody now. Running with Jason was paying off. She felt she could win. It was only a matter of time.

2410 Minutes

Mac flew over the bridge. She needed to close the gap on Gunny. She wanted to catch him before the next obstacle. It wasn't long before she completed the second obstacle. The marine standing there commented

"That was fantastic Ma'am. I've never seen anyone cross that bridge as fast as you. I think it's a record. You've made up almost seven minutes on the first person to pass through here. You have the fastest time so far through this check point." he had a list of the starting times and had been recording everyone's time as they passed through.

Mac knew she was going fast, but to have made up seven minutes after only a mile? What were these people doing? But the realization hit her. Harriet, Bud, and Loren were the first three runners. They weren't very fast nor were they very graceful. It would take them more time to do the obstacles.

2430 Minutes

Sturgis was the last person to start. He wasn't very happy with his situation. He didn't like to lose and the Admiral had set him up to fail miserably. He didn't understand why he would do that to him. What had he done to get punished as he had been this weekend?

He had been very supportive of the junior officer since he arrived, helping them to succeed in their goals. He had learned to stay out of Harm and Mac's relationship. As he had been told if you leave them alone they will eventually find a happy place and all would be right with the world.

He couldn't argue with that premise. He had never seen Harm happier. Mac was glowing. Something had to be up with them. They were too happy. Too many people had become constipated while they were here, why he didn't know? But he knew they had to be involve somehow.

He hadn't been able to go today. He hoped he didn't lose his load during the race. He had to make up too much time as it was. He didn't have time for any unwanted movements.

He breezed along the first leg before climbing the cargo net. He couldn't believed that half the field had already completed the first half of the course and three obstacles. He knew he had no chance of catching anyone. He was too far behind.

2500 Minutes

Jason reached the second obstacle. He didn't see anyone, not even the Colonel. Damm he thought. He knew the Colonel was good, but he figured that sooner or later he would begin to catch up to her. How could he catch Gunny when he wasn't in contact with the Colonel.

2505 Minutes

When AJ finished the third leg of the run he was expecting to see some of the women, instead he saw no one. He wondered what was going on. He had expected to catch someone this leg. After he finished his swim he talked to the marine while he put his shoes back on.

"I don't understand. I thought I would have caught someone by now." moaned AJ.

"Sir, all the women I saw swimming here were in excellent shape. They all appear to be very competitive. The first four competitors were within thirty seconds of each other. The next group were within a minute of each other.

They all are with two and a half minutes of each other. That's pretty good considering from what I understand the last one started seven minutes behind the first."

"Damm! No wonder why I haven't caught any of them." exclaimed AJ, of course he had nearly twenty years on all of them. Why was he surprise? His people were the best. They were highly competitive. He was pleased to see that everyone was doing well.

2545 Minutes

Mic ran along at a good steady pace. He felt like he was pushing pretty good, but he wasn't over taxing himself. There was still along way to go. He saw that AJ was about halfway across. It wouldn't be long before he caught him.

As he took off his shoes he looked back to see that Jack was right behind him. Damm! he said to himself. I can't lose to Jack, I just can't. He jumped in and swam hard. He looked back as he got out of the pool. He was only a few meters ahead of Jack.

He quickly put his shoes on and took off running. He cursed as heard Jack yell "I'm going to catch you, you blimey dingo!"

2550 Minutes

Jack had a bet with Harm. He would catch Mic by the end of the swim. They had a case of beer riding on the bet. He could taste the beer. It felt so good going down his throat. Maybe he could get Meg or Caitlin to join him.

He kicked the pace up a notch. He could see he was gaining on bugme. It was only a matter of time. He saw Mic looking back before he jumped in. He saw AJ finishing. He jumped in and began swimming. He was gaining with each stroke.

He could see that Mic was beginning to labor. He was only a few meters behind Mic when he finished the swim. He yelled out "Fe Fi Fo Thumb, I smell the stench of a dingo!"

The marine standing there whistle at how fast Jack swam. He was far and away the fastest swimmer. He didn't know someone could swim that fast.

2600 Minutes

The hard racing and the swim had taken its toll on everyone as the pace slowed considerably. Carolyn had taken over the lead. She slowly built up a thirty second lead over Loren and Harriet.

When she got to the obstacle she was shocked. The marine told her that the rope up to the platform was forty feet. It was going to take awhile to climb that high. She noticed that there were eight ropes. Good thing she thought. She didn't want to hold anyone up.

2620 Minutes

Jason got across second obstacle pretty quickly and was on his way. He had asked the marine how far Gunny was ahead of him. They had a bet that Jason couldn't catch Gunny.

The marine had told him he was almost three minutes behind. Jason sighed. He had made up very little so far. It was still early. He had only covered a mile. There was still two miles to go.

2630 Minutes

Harm got to the end of the bridge. He dropped to the ground when he was half ways down. He had to do all the little things to make up the time he was giving everyone. He needed to keep up a very fast pace to catch up. He hoped to catch Jason by the swim. It was a tall order, but it was doable.

2630 Minutes

Loren trudged along. She was tired. She didn't know if she could finish, but as long as she was ahead of Bud and Harriet she had to continue on. Damm!

She got to the second obstacle ten seconds ahead of Harriet. She cursed at the sight of what she saw. The marine told her she had a forty foot climb to the platform. How was she going to do that? Good thing the rope had knots every foot or so. It would help.

2640 Minutes

Harriet was tired. The only thing keeping her going was Loren was ahead of her. Her only salvation was, it appeared that Loren was as tired as she was. She cursed to herself when she saw the ropes hanging there.

The marine told her that it was forty feet high. She thanked God that there were eight ropes. She hoped that she wouldn't hold anyone up. She knew she wasn't going to be climbing the rope very fast.

2705 Minutes

Caitlin and Meg were running along comfortably. Their paced had slowed, but they were running faster than everyone else. They had left Bud behind in the dust and were quickly catching up to Loren and Harriet. They would past them on this obstacle. They were sure of that.

When they got to the obstacle they saw Carolyn struggling to climb up the rope. Harriet and Loren weren't very far up the rope. They were surprised to hear that the rope was forty feet to the platform.

They weren't great rope climbers, but they knew if they climb sure and steady they would pass the others.

2730 Minutes

Gunny got to the third obstacle, the swim. He was surprised to see no one there. They had all finished the swim. He couldn't understand why he hadn't caught up to Jack yet. He still remembered the gift that Jack had given him.

Carolyn had chewed him out afterwards. He had to find a way to catch Jack and beat him. Then there was the Colonel. He could hear her small footsteps. She was getting closer. He prayed that he could stay ahead of her until he caught Jack or someone else.

2735 Minutes

Skates and Jen decided to run the next leg together. They were feeling a little tired after the swim. It was good that they were running together. It would make it easier to keep up the pace. They felt it would give them the best chance of catching up to the others.

They felt pretty confident that they would catch Bud, Loren, and Harriet. They weren't great athletes. They would be slowing down. They didn't have the stamina. They weren't quite sure about Caitlin and Meg. They were an unknown.

They were surprised when they reached the fourth obstacle. Carolyn was leading, but she was only about half ways up. Either they were very poor climbers or the task at hand was more difficult than it looked.

They were thankful that there were eight ropes. Otherwise they would have to wait until someone finished. They quickly went about their business and began to climb the forty foot rope to the platform above.


	13. Chapter 13

****

Title: **_A Long Weekend at Camp_**

Author: _red rooster dawn_

Summary: The Admiral invites the staff to Camp Maplewood for a weekend of bonding. Harm and Mac have fun with their friends movements.

part thirteen As we all gather to ascend to a higher place

2745 Minutes

Bud cursed as fell further and further behind Caitlin and Meg. He was tired and they were still running as though they were on a Sunday jog. They were moving so smoothly. He liked the way their sixes moved in unison. 'Whack'

He hit himself in the head. He shouldn't be looking at their derriere like that and admiring them, but God they looked so good. They were almost as nice as Harriet's.

He was getting close to the end of the fourth leg when he heard footsteps. It was Jen and Skates. Damm it! Was he going to be passed by everyone? He knew he wasn't very good, but he had hoped that he wouldn't get passed until the end.

Of course falling into the water and losing a load hadn't help any. The marine had told him he lost more than two minutes when he fell in. Well he wouldn't be Bud if he didn't do something stupid. It was after all his MO.

He breathe a sigh of relief as he saw one more available rope. He wouldn't have to wait. Wow! That platform was high. It must be forty feet up to it. Carolyn was leading the way. She appeared to be about two thirds the way up.

They all appeared to be struggling. He smiled. He was a good climber. He should be able to pass most of the ladies. He would be near the lead. There was hope after all.

2750 Minutes

Mac kept up the hard pace. She was slowly catching Gunny. She didn't think it would be long before she caught him, probably on the next leg of the run. She remembered what Harm had told her, long easy strokes. Keep an even pace. She finished the swim less than twenty meters behind Gunny.

2830 Minutes

Carolyn breathe a sigh of relief. It had been a difficult climb. She looked down to see everyone struggling as much as she had except Bud. He was quickly climbing the rope. She better get a move on it if she wanted to keep her lead.

She looked out at the bridge. It was different from the first. It more like she expected, two ropes on the sides to hold onto and planks lashed together to walk on. The bridge looked like it might sway a little, but after the climb it would give her a chance to recover.

2835 Minutes

"My name is steady Eddie, I run a steady pace. If you run too fast, I track you down, I will beat you in the end." chanted AJ as he ran along. It was the only way he could keep going at a steady pace.

He hadn't seen anyone the whole day. The only hope he had was eventually they would all tire and he would catch them then. He rounded the curve and saw everyone there climbing the ropes. He smiled at the sight.

He had a chance. It was good to see that the staggered start had worked out well. Everyone was ahead of him were very close. They would all finish close together which had been his plan. The only problem he saw was there were only eight ropes and he was the ninth runner.

He saw Carolyn scramble onto the platform as he approached. Bud wasn't too far behind. Bud was acquitting himself well. The marine directed him to Carolyn's rope, number four.

2840 Minutes

Sturgis quickly ran across the rope bridge to the other side and was down the rope. He sighed. He was running this race all alone. It was too bad. It would have been nice to have some competition.

It was true that he liked being by himself a lot, but still he like competing with others. It was a way for him to test himself. It was fun. It was a way to make difficult tasks more enjoyable. Too bad, it would have been nice.

2845 Minutes

Harm reached the second obstacle. There wasn't anyone in sight. At least Sturgis wasn't catching up to him yet. He asked the marine who was station there how far behind he was.

The marine told him he was two minutes and forty five seconds behind, but he had made up more than six minutes on the field. He was impressed. Only the Colonel had done as well as he had.

Bud quickly climbed the rope passing everyone but Carolyn. He was juiced, he was reenergized. He had a chance at the lead if he could move across the bridge faster than Carolyn.

2900 Minutes

Jason kept up the fast pace as he ran the third leg. He was disappointed that he still couldn't see the Colonel. He jumped into the pool and swam one of the faster times wondering what he had to do to catch her.

After he finished the swim the marine told him he was a minute and thirty seconds behind Gunny. He had made up twenty seconds. The marine also told him that the Colonel wasn't far behind Gunny. She expected to pass Gunny on the fourth leg.

"I feel good, I knew I would. I feel good, I knew I would." sang Jack as he went by Mic. He still felt pretty good. He had a good stride going. He wasn't over taxing himself and yet he was leaving the blimey dingo in the dust.

When he got to the fourth obstacle he whistle. He had found the mother load. There were eight ropes and seven people still there climbing up to the platform. If he got up the ropes quickly he might be able to pass a few of them.

They all appeared to be struggling. He looked further and saw two people crossing the bridge. Interesting he thought. AJ must be happy about everyone being here together. The marine directed him to rope eight, the one Bud had climbed.

2910 Minutes

Mic cursed as Jack ran by him singing some silly song. He hated to lose. He hated to lose to Harm or to one of his friends even more. He sucked it up and ran a little harder trying to keep pace with Jack.

Maybe at the next obstacle he would be able to do better than Jack and get ahead of him again. He rounded the turn and saw the ropes leading up to a platform there eight of them. Damm! They're all filled. Curses!

"You will have to wait a moment Sir. Number five will be available soon." directed the marine stationed at the bottom of the ropes.

"Hurry up Jen, I'm losing distance to that blimey flyboy. Hurry." Mic mumbled to himself.

2915 Minutes

Jen flew up the ropes quickly. She had had a lot of practice when she was younger and was a gymnast. It had help later when she was a con artist and someone was chasing her. She passed everyone into third place. There were only two people ahead of her now. Soon she would be in the lead.

2920 Minutes

Meg and Caitlin climbed up the rope together. They encouraged each other and the other women who were still climbing urging them not to give up. They finished together and began their trip across the bridge.

Two people had passed them, but they had passed two other people. Net loss was zero. They would catch the leaders. They were the better athletes.

2930 Minutes

Loren finally reached the top. She was dead tired. She was ready to drop. All she could think of was her bathtub back home filled with hot water and bubbles. A lot of people had passed her climbing the rope.

She was sure a few more would pass her before she crossed the bridge. It was fun being one of the leaders for the short time she had been, but reality had set in and now her goal was to finish. At least Harriet was still behind her.

2935 Minutes

AJ completed the rope climb right behind Loren. He would pass her on the bridge. He had to admit she had done a fine job. He looked down and saw that Jack and Mic were now climbing the ropes.

The race was getting very tight now. His plan had work. With only a mile left most of them should finish within five minutes of each other. Very good he thought.

2940 Minutes

Harriet sighed with disappointment as she watch one person after another pass her. She guess they had to have an equalizer to enable the others to make up the time they spotted the slower runners.

At least Bud had done well he was in second place now. He had fallen way behind after he fell in the swamp. She was happy for him. Maybe he could stay with the leaders until the next obstacles.

2950 Minutes

Harm scampered across the second obstacle in near record time. He had to keep up the pace. Sooner or later the others would tire out and he would catch them. Realistically that would be near the end.

The Admiral had set this exercise up so that everyone would finish together. He was sure the Admiral would take great pleasure in seeing him and Sturgis come up short. They had spotted the field way too much time. Hopefully Mac's secret weapon would even out the playing field for him.

3000 Minutes

Jack took advantaged of the last rope and quickly climbed up the rope to the platform catching up to everyone. The marine directed him to the bridge Carolyn was on. She was two thirds of the way gone.

She would disrupted the least. He hoped that he could catch some of the slower runners on the bridge, if not then he would pass them on the fifth leg of the run. He sensed that it wouldn't be long before he was leading the race.

3005 Minutes

Skates cursed. She was the last of the original eight to climb the rope. She thought she would do better, but it was hard after running two miles and all the other obstacles. She had also been passed by Bud, AJ, and Jack.

They had made climbing the rope look so easy. They were men. They were much stronger. She would have to run faster after she completed crossing the bridge. There were a few people she felt she could pass.

It was only a matter of time. It would be harder. Jen wouldn't be with her to pace her. She would have to do it on her own. She wasn't sure if she could do it. The Marine directed to the bridge Bud was on. He was a little more than half way across.

3020 Minutes

Mic cursed as he climbed the rope. He had fallen further behind Jack. It didn't look like he would catch him climbing up the rope. He was moving too good. All he could hope for was to keep pace.

He made good time going up the rope. He could see everyone. No one had finished the obstacle yet though Carolyn looked to be almost finish. The marine directed him to follow Jen.

3030 Minutes

Gunny kept up a good pace. He had slowed a little, but that was to be expected. His only goal on this leg of the race was to beat the Colonel to the next obstacle and make it harder for Jason to catch up.

He managed to get to the fourth obstacle ahead of Mac. He didn't see anyone climbing the ropes, but there appeared to be many people on the bridges. He quickly noted that everyone was still there.

3040 Minutes

Mac kept up the pace. She was slowly gaining on Gunny. It would be soon. She would pass by him. He was climbing the rope quickly. She knew she would fall back a little. There was no way she could stay with him.

"Ma'am, Everyone is on the bridge. The first person is only making her way down the descent line now. We got them!" Gunny yelled down to Mac.

It was the lift she needed to make it up the rope. She would push a little harder. The sooner she got up the rope the sooner she could make the final drive to pass all of them.

"This is outstanding Ma'am. I have never seen so many people together at one time on this obstacle. You're the thirteen person. You're only a few minutes behind. You can beat them." a marine reported to her excitedly. She was representing the marines in a sea of squids.

She saw the Admiral half way across the bridge. He must be proud of everyone. Everyone was here but Jason, Sturgis, and Harm. She wondered where he was now. How far behind was he?

3040 Minutes

Carolyn reached the end of the bridge. She looked back. She couldn't believe everyone was at the obstacle. The marine directed her to grab the zip line. She was unsure of herself, but she followed the instructions that were given her.

When she got to the bottom she gave Mac a shout. She had her work cut out for her. All the good runners were too close now. Surely one of them would catch her, but if she ran a quick pace it would make it harder for them to catch her.


	14. Chapter 14

****

Title: **_A Long Weekend at Camp_**

Author: _red rooster dawn_

Summary: The Admiral invites the staff to Camp Maplewood for a weekend of bonding. Harm and Mac have fun with their friends movements.

part fourteen

3050 Minutes

Sturgis reached the second obstacle. The marine stationed there confirmed that he was the last runner. He told Sturgis he was going back to the common area and eat a mid afternoon snack.

Sturgis was slightly pleased that he had made up six minutes, but he was too far behind. He wasn't going to win. The first runner had just completed the fourth obstacle.

3055 Minutes

Jen crossed the bridge quickly. She wanted to get ahead of Bud. She knew then that only Carolyn would be ahead of her. She wanted to catch Carolyn before one of the men caught her.

They were much better runners than she was. One of them was bound to catch her. She was sure of that. She passed Bud near the end of the bridge. She went down the zip line. She saw Mac half way up the rope. She looked like she was doing pretty good. She hit the ground running.

3100 Minutes

Bud cursed when Jen passed him before the end. He looked back to see if anyone else was close. He cursed again. Meg and Caitlin were right behind him. He had heard them cackling away as he crossed the bridge, but he thought they were further behind.

His euphoria was going to be short live. It wouldn't be long before people would begin passing him. Oh well, at least he tried. He would continue to do his best.

3110 Minutes

Meg and Caitlin carried on a conversation as they went across the bridge. They talked about what they were going to do over the next several months and made a pledge that they would get together at Christmas time.

They were gaining on Bud, but weren't too concern. They knew they would eventually pass him once they started running again. They hoped that they could catch Jen and Carolyn as well. Carolyn had been running a good race.

They still hadn't caught her, but they were surprise about Jen. She looked like a girly girl to them. She was so petite and very cute. She looked adorable when she was cuddling with Jason. They didn't expect her to be such a good athlete.

3125 Minutes

AJ was feeling pretty good about himself. He couldn't have planned this run any better. When he got to the obstacle everyone ahead of him was still climbing the rope. By the time he got to the top they had been joined by Mic and Jack.

Now as he looked back to the start he saw Gunny and Mac. Thirteen people had been here at this obstacle. They were going to have to do this again next year.

"Outstanding Sir! I've never seen so many people at this station before in my life. You have an excellent group Sir." greeted the marine.

3130 Minutes

Gunny made good time up the rope. He separated himself from the Colonel. He looked to see who was left on the bridge. There were only five left. He saw Loren and Harriet. They had done a good job he thought,

but he suspected that the rope climb had done them in. It shouldn't be too long before he caught them. He was disappointed that the Admiral was gone. Next to Jason he wanted to beat the Admiral the most.

It was an Navy Marine thing. Then again there was Mic up ahead. It sure would be nice to beat him. He could be very condescending to the enlisted personnel at times especially to marines.

3140 Minutes

Loren moved across the bridge carefully. She didn't like the idea of the floor moving while she walk. It was making her dizzy. She was being passed by more and more people. She was now in the middle of the pack. She could hear Jack singing some silly song and Mic cursing.

3145 Minutes

"I feel good, I knew I would. I feel good, I knew I would." sang Jack as he made his way across the bridge. He had made up a lot of time on this leg and obstacle. He could smell victory. It wouldn't be long before he passed all the sweet smelling honeys.

3150 Minutes

Harriet was tired. She was ready for a hot bubble bath. She was ninth now, soon to be eleventh. Such was life for a mother of two. She just didn't have the stamina anymore. At least Bud was holding his own.

Her only goal at this point was finishing the race and trying to stay with Loren. If she was lucky she would beat her at the end.

3155 Minutes

Skates was feeling pretty low right about now. She had reached this obstacle with Jen. They had almost caught Caitlin and Meg. Now Jen was gone and she had fallen further behind Caitlin and Meg.

What was even worse, the men had begun to pass her. She had hoped to hold them off until the end. It didn't appear that was going to happen now. At least she would finally pass Loren and Harriet.

3200 Minutes

Mac made pretty good time up the rope. Sure she had lost time to Gunny, but that didn't diminish her accomplishment. The marine stationed on the platform told her that many of the women had struggled.

It took many of them two to three minutes. Only one other woman went under two minutes and she beat her by twenty second. She would need to move quickly if she hoped to catch Gunny.

3200 Minutes

Jason kept up the pace. He still had hopes of catching Gunny. Sooner or later he had to slow down. When he reached the obstacle he saw the Colonel at the top of the rope. She had reached the platform.

He looked around hoping to see Gunny. He had already started down the bridge. Mic was zipping down the line. There was hope. It gave him the incentive to get up the rope quickly.

3210 Minutes

Sturgis made his way across the second obstacle quickly and dismissed the fourth marine. It's too bad, it could have been nice, but he was too far behind. He wouldn't catch Harm or anyone else. He was only seventeen minutes behind. Whoopee!

Mic cursed. It didn't matter what he did he couldn't stay with Jack. He was beginning to fall further behind. He didn't think he could beat Jack anymore. He set his sights on AJ. AJ would be running a much slower pace. He should be able to catch him. Hell he was an old man. He should be able to beat an old man.

3300 Minutes

Harm kept up the fast pace. He figured that it was better than a six minute mile pace. If he kept that pace up he had to catch everyone. Most of them wouldn't be able to do much better than eight and a half to nine minute mile pace. He swam one of the fastest times.

After he finished the swim he asked the marine how far behind he was. The marine told him he was three minutes and twenty seconds behind Jason and only twelve minutes behind the leaders. He had made up another three minutes. There was still hope. Hopefully Mac's revenge would kick in.

Jason got up the rope quickly. He could see Gunny at the end of the bridge. The Colonel had caught up to him. Soon he would catch Gunny. He would have the bragging rights in the office. He wondered how Jen was doing.

They had been training for weeks now. She was a good runner. People had the tendency to underestimate her. He hoped that she would win. Before he left the platform one of the marine told him

"You should have been here a few minutes ago. Everyone in your group was either climbing the rope or running across the bridge. It was an awesome sight. Your little honey was near the front of the group."

Jason was jazzed. Jen was near the lead. That meant soon she would be leading. He was getting pumped again. He would catch Gunny for sure now.

3320 Minutes

Gunny moved across the bridge quickly. He knew he had to hurry or the Colonel would pass him. He could hear her delicate footsteps getting closer. When he looked back at the end he was surprised to see her that close.

He also saw Jason making his way across the bridge. Panic mode began to kick in. He didn't care if the Colonel beat him. She was a better athlete, but Jason, hell no. He would never hear the end of it. He had to hurry.

3325 Minutes

It could have been worse thought Mac. It could have taken her much longer to climb the rope. She was surprised that she got up the rope as easy as she had. The weight training with Harm had helped.

Of course climbing the ropes in the gym hadn't hurt either especially when Harm showed her how to pull herself up in a easier fashion. Now she had to make up the time she had lost. She needed to push harder. She needed to catch up to Gunny.

3440 Minutes

Jason was excited. It wouldn't be long before he caught Gunny. He was so psych. Whether he beat Gunny in the end or not didn't matter he had made up the three minute head start that Gunny had gotten. That in itself was a victory.

3520 Minutes

Harm kept up the strong pace. He couldn't believe how fast he was running. His mind went back to high school track when he had to do intervals for strength training and endurance.

He had to run ten quarter miles in sixty five seconds each. In between they would slowly jog an eighth of a mile. This run was in the same manner. He could run hard and get a breather while he did the obstacles.

The marine at the station told him that the last person had left there less than a minute ago. There had been a log jam earlier when eleven people were on the obstacle at one time.

He was nine minutes behind the leaders as many of them struggled climbing the rope. He was sure that Harm could make up more time.

3525 Minutes

It didn't take long before Jen passed Bud. Bud's legs were spent. He didn't have the energy to run hard anymore. Jen sped by him as if he was standing still. It wasn't long before she passed Carolyn too.

She reached the fifth obstacle first. It was a two hundred yard crawl under barbwire through the mud. Normally that wouldn't be so bad, but it looked like to her that the pit was filled with mud, wet slimy mud. And the barb wire appeared to be only inches off the ground.

3540 Minutes

Sturgis kept up the fast pace. He was in excellent shape. He could run faster than normal because he knew he had a minute or two rest period at each of the obstacles.

After he finished the swim the marine told him he was only fourteen and a half minutes behind the leaders. He had made up ten minutes since the start. He still didn't think he could catch anyone. They had too much of a head start.

3600 Minutes

Harm climbed up the rope in record time. He needed to keep up the fast pace and hope that Mac's revenge worked. It was his only realistic chance to catch everyone. He still couldn't see anyone.

He was three minutes behind Jason and was only seven and a half minutes behind the leader. It seemed to him that the Admiral's goal of everyone finishing close together was working.

3610 Minutes

Carolyn was the leader after the fourth leg. She had kept up a good pace all the way and had been rewarded, but in the end she knew she would be caught. She was surprised to see that Jen was the one to catch her.

Her paced slowed after Jen passed her. It wasn't long before Meg and Caitlin caught up with her at the mud pit. They had worked together to keep a good pace going. They all were suffering.

Their arms were still aching from the rope climb. They wondered how they were going to get through the mud pit with tired arms. They would need their arms to pull them through this obstacle.

Caitlin and Meg had taken off at a reasonable pace. They knew they would catch Bud. They didn't need to burn themselves out in the process. There was still another obstacle to tackle and another run after that. They needed to save some energy left to ensure that they finish strong.

They were surprised when AJ ran by them. They had thought that he was too old and slow. They knew they needed to picked the pace up. The other men couldn't be too far behind. They were younger and stronger.

When they went around a turn in the path they saw AJ squatting. What was he doing? It sure was a sight to behold. But it wasn't a pretty one. They snickered as they went by him and kept their eyes averted and one hand holding their nose.

They soon caught up to Bud and passed him too. That left only Carolyn and Jen to catch. They caught up to Carolyn before the end of the run and told her about AJ squatting. It was a laugh that was shared by all.


	15. Chapter 15

****

Title: **_A Long Weekend at Camp_**

Author: _red rooster dawn_

Summary: The Admiral invites the staff to Camp Maplewood for a weekend of bonding. Harm and Mac have fun with their friends movements.

part fifteen

3645 Minutes

Skates was beginning to get depress. She couldn't understand how she had gone from seventh to tenth during the obstacle. She had made up so much time on the leaders. What had happened? Were the men that good?

They had no trouble climbing the rope, why did she? If she didn't want to finish last she better start running faster. It didn't take her long before she passed Loren and Harriet. They were running very slow now.

Who was next? Must be Jack or AJ? As it turned out it was neither, for Mic passed her. She cursed herself for being so slow. But it didn't last long. She turned the corner and saw AJ squatting on the side. He looked really embarrassed.

Too bad she thought. Then around another turn there was Mic squatting on the side of the path too. She had to laugh. What was going on? First it was AJ and now Mic. Who would be the next one on the side of the path?

Bud she thought, but it wasn't Bud, it was Jack who was squatting on the side of the path. She laughed so hard and so loud. She pushed on expecting to see Bud squatting on the side of the path next,

but Bud managed to stay upright. She did manage to pass him before the end of the run. She was very pleased with herself.

Mac took off after Gunny. He had taken off quickly as always. She was surprised that he was running as well as he was. He had run poorly last year in the Jagathon. She thought she would be ahead of him by now.

She was surprised to see him stop and reach into his pocket. Then she realized that it must be time. It was time for the Movement. Harm called it the Marine Scourge. It had taken longer than she had expected.

She had thought she would have seen or heard about others having the movement by now, but she hadn't. It wasn't long before she saw another afflicted individual. First there was AJ. He didn't seemed to be very happy.

He was cursing and very surprised to see her running on by him. She yelled out a salutation to him "Serves you right for cheating."

She came across Mic squatting around the next bend in the path. He seemed to be enjoying himself though she didn't think he was too happy to see her running by. She laughed as he cursed her. Harm had told her a couple of years ago "Mic is a show pony. He looks good, but he can't perform."

Then there was Jack squatting around another bend. She had to laugh. These were her biggest challengers in the end and she was ahead of them all now. It wouldn't be too much longer before she caught everyone.

She was excited when she passed them. It gave her a boost. It wasn't long before she passed Harriet and Loren. That made six people she passed on this leg. Wow! She saw Bud up ahead. It didn't take long before she passed him too.

It was a very good leg for her. She kind of expected it when she saw so many people at the last obstacle. But still, to pass so many people was unbelievable. She caught up to Skates at the end of the run. She had made up eight places in one leg. Wow!

"Outstanding Ma'am!" greeted the marine stationed at obstacle.

He had been following her progress on the two way radios the marines had in case of an emergency. The Colonel had moved up eight places. She was upholding the Marine Corps honor in a sea of squids.

3650 Minutes

Bud took off quickly. He had his second wind. He wanted to stay ahead of everyone for as long as possible. He knew he could well in the last obstacle, it was crawl through the mud. He had plenty of practice crawling with his kids.

He did his best to keep the pace strong. If he was to be caught then they would have to run hard to catch him, but unfortunately he tired quickly. It wasn't long before he was passed by Meg and Caitlin.

He kept on running waiting for the next person wondering who would be next. He waited for a long time. It wasn't until near the end that he was caught. It was Skates and then the Colonel.

He was surprised to see her. He was expecting maybe Jack, Mic, or even AJ to pass him, not Mac. They were stronger runners than he was. How slow was he running if Mac was able to catch him?

3720 Minutes

Harm quickly crossed the bridge and zipped down the line. He was on his way quickly. He was now six minutes and twenty minutes behind the leaders. He knew he had a chance to catch everyone if things worked out.

He would gain some more time running this leg. It was a little longer than the others. Then the next obstacle would slow everyone down. It wouldn't be easy to crawl through two hundred yards of mud while keeping your head down.

It would especially be hard near the end when the barbwire was only inches above the mud. It was an obstacle that would favor the stronger people. He was now only six minutes behind the leaders and closing fast. Would he have enough time to catch everyone?

3735 Minutes

Jack moved out quickly. His next mark was AJ. He was the man or should he say the person to beat. The women weren't that far ahead. He would catch them before the next obstacle. He was the better runner.

They would all fade. Only AJ wouldn't fold. He was steady as a rock. He would make him work hard to pass him. He passed by Loren quickly and then came across AJ squatting. He laughed.

"What's the matter AJ? Has Mac's Revenge finally caught up with you?"

Meg and Caitlin were next in his sights. He was about to make a move on them when he felt the movement. Damm! He got off to the side of the road, pulled his shorts down, and felt the relief come. It felt so good, but it seemed to have a life of its own.

Unlike on the island where it was over in a few moments, this movement kept going and going and going. He was passed by Skates, Loren, and Harriet. He hoped that Mic and AJ wouldn't go by him too. Unfortunately he wasn't so lucky.

AJ wasn't the next one nor was it Mic. It was Mac. Damm! How long was this movement going to last? When AJ ran by he had had enough. He cleaned himself the best he could. Wiped his hands in the dirt and took off.

He managed to catch up with Harriet and AJ before the beginning of the next obstacle. He saw everyone there. It was time to make the big move.

3740 Minutes

Loren was tired. Why was she doing this? She wasn't a marine. She had let her pride cause her to run too fast in the beginning. She should have gone slower. She wouldn't be feeling this bad right now if she had.

She probably would have caught Bud and Harriet anyway and still have enough energy to beat them in the end. Right now she would be lucky to finish. Did she even want to finish? No, but she had to. To not finish would look bad in the Admiral's eyes. She couldn't have that.

Everyone was passing her now. First there was Jack, then Skates, and finally Mic. She was sure Harriet would pass her too, but Harriet looked as exhausted as she did. Then it happened. She saw the Admiral squatting on the side of the path.

What was he doing? Don't be stupid, you know what he's doing. Don't look, just keep on running. It wasn't long before she saw Mic and Jack doing the same thing. She laughed as she went on by them.

But then a thought occur to her, what if she was next. She had been constipated most of the time she had been here at Camp Maplewood. She had no paper with her. There was no cover to hide behind. How would she clean herself afterwards?

Whatever you do Loren, don't think about it. If you do then you will have to relieve yourself too. Right now that wasn't an option. Jack and AJ caught her before the next obstacle, but they weren't very far ahead.

At least she had stayed with them this long. The Admiral probably thinks well of her that she had gutted it out this long. She had stayed with him until the last obstacle. That wasn't too bad she thought. Surely she had to let him beat her anyway.

3745 Minutes

AJ was quite happy with himself. He had told himself that if he ran a steady pace he would eventually catch everyone. He had been surprised to see everyone at the last obstacle.

So many of them had difficulty climbing the rope. He had passed three people and wasn't very far behind Meg and Caitlin. It hadn't taken him long before he passed them too, but he wasn't a hundred yards down the path when he felt the movement coming on.

Damm! He was in fourth place. Bud was just ahead of him. Damm! He pulled out the paper Jason had give n him and went over to the side of the path and pulled his pants down.

While it felt so good to be relieved of his load, the timing simply sucked. He had to give Jason credit. He always seemed to have whatever he needed.

Caitlin and Meg chuckled at him as they went on by. A few moments later Jack went by laughing at him. Damm! How long was it going to take to get it all out? Mic soon went by and asked him if he was okay.

Then three more people passed by him; Skates, Loren, and Harriet. They adverted their heads. They didn't want to embarrass him anymore than he already was. He didn't know what to do when Mac went by him. Damm!

She had to have been a minute and a half behind at the last obstacle. How long was it going to take to get it all out? She laughed and shook her head in disbelief. "Deserves you right for cheating Sir!"

He had gone from fourth to twelve in a matter of minutes. He later passed Jack and Mic who came down with the same malady. He was relieved to know he wasn't the only one to suffer though Jack caught him again before the reaching the next obstacle.

He did manage to catch back up with Harriet and was just behind Loren. Everything was okay again. He would pass Loren in the mud. Maybe if he was lucky he would pass the others too. He was back to ninth.

3750 Minutes

Sturgis reached the fourth obstacle. He had continued to run a fast pace. He was surprised that he hadn't seen a sign of Harm yet. It seemed that Harm must be running fast too. Probably because he didn't want to finish last.

He did finally see Harm as he was running up to the obstacle. He was running away at a good clip. He would be tough to catch. It seemed to him that whatever time he made up running he probably lost on the obstacle. Oh well what can one do?

Harriet trudged along. Those who hadn't passed her on the rope climb soon did so on this leg of the run. First it was Skates and then Mic. She was beginning to feel down about herself.

It was all she could do stay in contact with Loren. She was fortunate that Loren didn't seem to have any more energy than she did. Then things started to happen. About halfway through the run she saw the Admiral squatting on the side of the path.

She felt like laughing, but she didn't dare until she well by him. It wasn't long before she saw Mic and then Jack squatting on the side of the path too. She couldn't help but laugh. It was too bad that Bud couldn't see these great men on the side of the path.

She would have to tell him about it later. It would lift his spirits and he wouldn't feel as guilty anymore about when he went in the boat. It gave her the energy to finish the leg even though she was passed before the end by Jack and the Admiral.

3810 Minutes

Mic quickly passed Harriet and Loren on the next leg of the run. It took a little longer before he passed Skates. Next up was Jack or AJ. It didn't matter which as long as he caught them. AJ seemed to be the obvious choice.

He was older and much slower than Jack. Jack had eluded him ever since he pass him. It wasn't long before he passed AJ. He found it amusing to see AJ squatting. He asked AJ if he was alright, but he really didn't care.

He wanted to beat AJ. It was one thing to lose to the others. They were younger and maybe in better shape, but AJ was an old man. He should be able to beat him. He had to beat him. Then it happened.

The urge he felt the other day when he was canoeing was back. He looked for a tree or bush for some leaves, but found none. Damm! It was coming. He pulled down his shorts and let the movement come. It felt pretty damm good.

He relaxed and breathe in deeply. He saw Skates, Loren, and Harriet pass him by. Damm! He expected to see AJ next, but AJ wasn't the next one to pass him, it was Mac. Damm! How had she caught up to him so fast? She started almost five minutes behind him. Damm!

Just how long was his movement going to last? AJ went by and laughed at him. He yelled "Don't stay down too long Mic, you won't be able to get back up."

It reminded him of his younger days when he boxed. He cleaned himself the best he could and got going again. He never caught up to anyone before the next obstacle.

3910 Minutes

Sturgis scaled the rope quickly and started heading across the bridge. The marine at the top told him he was ten minutes behind the leaders who had bunched up on this leg.

While he had made up more than half the deficit, he only had a mile left to go. There was no way he was going to win or catch anyone. Too bad, he liked to have competition.

Gunny was about a hundred yards down the path when he felt the movement coming on. Mac had passed him shortly after completing the obstacles. He reached in his pocket and found the paper Jason had given him.

He moved over to the side of the road and pulled his shorts down. He hoped no one would see him. Well there was only one person left, Jason. Everyone else was ahead of him. He didn't have to wait long.

Jason laughed at him as he went by. Gunny cursed as the movement continued. He hadn't gone in three days, why did it have to happen to him now when he was so close. Damm. He was going to lose to Jason and he would tell everyone how. Damm.

Jason went on frolicking down the path. He couldn't believe that Gunny was dropping a load. It was great. What a way to beat him. What a good story he had to tell Jen. But Jason's joy was short live as he felt the sudden urge of the movement too.

Damm. He pulled the paper out of his pocket and pulled his shorts down. He was about done when he saw Gunny coming. He cleaned himself and was ready to get going by the time Gunny got there. He would finish his business later after the race.

Gunny laughed at him and agreed to run with him in an effort to catch up to everyone else.


	16. Chapter 16

****

Title: **_A Long Weekend at Camp_**

Author: _red rooster dawn_

Summary: The Admiral invites the staff to Camp Maplewood for a weekend of bonding. Harm and Mac have fun with their friends movements.

part sixteen

4000 Minutes

Harm continued the incredible pace he had been running. He saw some droppings along the path that he had to side step. If he didn't know any better he would have thought they had been left by bears or some other large animal.

He smiled as he realized that Mac's plan had worked better than they had hoped. As he neared the final obstacle he saw Mac near the lead. She was behind only Jen now. Jen was almost done. Jen always amazed him with her ability.

God help the idiot who underestimated her. It was going to be a close finish between Jen and Mac. Mac was the stronger runner. She had made up almost nine minutes already. She should be able to make up the rest.

4020 Minutes

Sturgis finished crossing the bridge and zipped down the line. When he reached the end the marine standing there told him he was less than 10 minutes behind the leaders.

He had made up more than sixteen minutes. Too little too late thought Sturgis as he cursed the Admiral once again for making him look like a loser. What had he done wrong? Why did the Admiral hate him?

Author's note:

The crawl time was calculated by taking the time it would take to walk two hundred yard and multiply by three.

One hundred yards per minute is a three point four miles per hour pace. I figure it should take two to three times longer to crawl the same distance. Add in the mud factor.

4035 Minutes

Jen was the first one to reach the final obstacle. It entailed crawling through two hundred yards of mud, not a pleasant thought. Two football fields was a long way to crawl. She took a quick look back and saw she had a big lead which surprised her a little.

She moved through the first hundred yards of the obstacle quickly as there wasn't too much mud. But the mud began to get deeper and deeper over the second hundred yards. By the end of the crawl she thought she was actually swimming in the mud.

When she was done she turned around to see if anyone was catching up to her. She was surprised to see that Mac was her closest competitor. She knew she had her work cut out for her. Mac was the best. It would be difficult to beat her.

4105 Minutes

When Mac got to the last obstacle she was surprised to see Meg, Caitlin, and Carolyn less than a third of the way done. She turned to Skates whom she caught at the end of the run "We're not too far behind them. If you can stay with me we can pass them before the end."

While Skates appreciated the encouragement from a senior officer and friend, she intended to pace herself and not go too hard. She wasn't too far from the finish line. She just wanted to finish.

Mac didn't think she could catch Jen during this stage. Jen was almost halfway through the crawl. He goal was to pass the trio of squids ahead of her and to close the gap between her and Jen and hope that she could catch her on the final run.

Mac caught the trio about two thirds the way through the mud. She had pushed it when she found that the mud wasn't as deep as she had feared. Unfortunately that wasn't going to last as the second half of the crawl the mud started getting deeper and deeper.

It was hard getting through the last fifty feet as she tried to keep her head above the mud and below the wire. She was tired when she was done, but she expected Jen and the others would be tired too. All she could do was try her best to catch Jen. She had caught everyone else, why not catch Jen too.

4140 Minutes

Meg, Caitlin, Carolyn all got to the last obstacle together. Caitlin had suggested to Carolyn that they should run together and finish the race together. There was little to gain from trying to beat each other.

If they tried too hard they might tire and be caught by the men. If they kept up a steady pace they would stay ahead of them. They were the second group of people to reach the mud pit. Jen looked to be a quarter of the way done.

She seemed to be moving pretty good. Maybe the crawl through the mud wouldn't be as bad as they thought it might be. They looked back to see Skates and Mac a few hundred yards behind. They thought they wouldn't be caught doing the last obstacle.

They were surprised when Mac did indeed catch them. They didn't understand how it was possible. They all had started at least eleven minutes ahead of her. Sure she looked good. Hell they all looked good.

They didn't think she was anymore gifted than they were. How had she made up all the time? Of course they hadn't pushed themselves as hard as they could have, but still, losing eleven minutes to her.

But as much as they might have wanted to stay with her, their main goal now was staying together and beating the men.

4200 Minutes

Bud got to the mud pit not long after Mac and Skates. He was surprised to see them moving so quickly. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. He tried to crawl quickly through the mud, but every twenty yards he seemed to raised his six too high and get it caught by the barb wire.

He was getting frustrated. He should be catching the ladies. He was stronger. He was used to crawling since he crawled a lot playing with little AJ and Jimmy K. He saw the Colonel moving further away from him.

Her marine training had taught her the perfect way to crawl through the mud he thought. He did manage to pass Skates with about thirty yards to go, but he couldn't catch anyone else. He was quite disappointed with his effort.

4210 Minutes

Jack was surprised to see how far he had fallen behind the ladies. He had lost a lot of time taking care of business. But there was one saving grace he gained from the movement, he was able to rest. He was stronger. He had more strength to crawl under the barb wire.

He began to sing as he crawl "I am the man from down under. I have to keep my tail down under. Head down, butt down. I am the man down under."

His voice got louder as he passed Skates who laughed at his silly little song. She was glad to see that it was Jack and not Mic. She, liked everyone else, didn't want to lose to Mic. Jack almost caught Bud by the end. With his bulk he wasn't affected by the deep mud.

He felt that soon he would catch everyone ahead of him though he wasn't sure about catching Mac. She was good, maybe too good to catch.

4215 Minutes

Mac had caught Skates at the end of the run. Skates knew she wouldn't be able to stay with Mac, but she did know if she try to keep a good pace it would be harder for anyone to catch her from behind.

She had passed all the guys during the run. She didn't understand what had happened to caused all the men to be disable on the side of the trail. But she didn't care. It wasn't fair that they had to climb up forty feet of rope.

Now her goal was to stay ahead of as many of them as possible. It was doable. It seemed Bud was the only one close to them as she began crawling under the barb wire. She was surprised that it took Bud so long to catch her.

She was only a few yards from the finish when he finally passed her. She felt good because she knew she could pass Bud on the final run. She was surprised however when Jack caught her, but she didn't care.

She figured that he would be the only guy to beat her. But then again how far was Jack ahead of AJ and Mic? She took a quick look back and saw that they weren't too far behind, but she thought that she still could beat them to the finish.

4235 Minutes

AJ passed Harriet near the end of the run and almost caught Loren. He was a bit disappointed that he was still behind these two, but he had to give them credit for keeping it going.

They could have quit when everyone began passing them after the rope climb, but they didn't. He had a renew respect for them. "Good job Harriet, keep it going. I'm proud of you."

He was surprised to see that he had fallen to tenth in the race after his strong effort completing the last obstacle, but he had lost so much time when the movement hit him. He was lucky he hadn't fallen further behind.

He was going to have to crawl very quickly if he was going to catch up. He didn't want to give everyone too much of a head start for the last run before the finish. Though he did have a surprise for them. There was one more obstacle left.

He passed Loren soon after he started the crawl through the mud. "Good job Loren, keep it going. I'm proud of you." He tried to keep pace with Jack, but he sensed that he was slipping away. Twenty years was too much to give strong virile young men.

It made it harder to compete, but he was happy that he had done as well as he had. Mic was still behind him. He had to stay ahead of him. He knew it wasn't going to be easy. Mic did have his pride.

4250 Minutes

Mic had fallen behind Jack and AJ. He cursed the movement. He had made up a lot of time on everyone and had passed some of them, but now he was well behind everyone again. He would be lucky to catch up.

When he got to the last obstacle he was surprised to see everyone was still crawling along at various paces. Maybe he thought if he worked very hard on this leg he could catch up. He might not catch them while he was crawling, but he still was much faster runner than most of them.

He soon passed Harriet and Loren. He crawled faster and was soon right behind AJ and not too far behind Bud and Jack. A thought just hit him. As bad as it would be to lose to Jack and AJ, it would be even worse to lose to Bud. How was it that Bud was still ahead of him? He had forgotten all about Bud.

4250 Minutes

Sturgis kept up the strong pace. He knew he wasn't going to win, but he didn't want to embarrass himself. Maybe there was a prize for the fastest time.

"You're doing good Sir. You're only seven and a half minutes behind." said the marine as he reached the final obstacle. Marvelous he thought. He looked ahead and only saw five people still on the course.

Last place here I come. He knew that he wouldn't catch Harm, Gunny, or Jason. Harriet and Loren were the great unknown commodity, but so what if he beat them, what good would that do him. It was the same as being last.

4340 Minutes

Gunny and Jason stayed together hoping to keep up a good pace so that they could catch up with the Admiral and Mic. They saw them a third of the way down the mud pit. Everyone was still there. Jason saw Jen ahead of everyone else.

His chest swelled with pride with her accomplishment. Jason yelled out to her "Go Jen!" as he and Gunny dived under the barb wire. Since they were last they decided to crawl as fast as possible to try and catch up.

If nothing else they would finish closer to the winner. But despite their hard work they only passed Harriet and Loren. They did make up ground on everyone. They were only three minutes behind the leader, not bad thought Jason since he had started more than seventeen minutes behind at the beginning.

4400 Minutes

Harm surveyed the field as he approached the pit. He could see Jen leading the way, but Mac wasn't very far behind. He had confidence that his marine would catch Jen in the end. He was surprised to see everyone still here.

The marine stationed at the start told him he was only four and half minutes behind now. He thought he should make up some time here if he went hard. Harm began to crawl under the barb wire.

He could see that he was gaining on the field although Harriet and Loren were the only ones he caught. But he was much faster than everyone else. He figured he would pass four or five more before the end. Not bad considering the head start he gave everyone.

4420 Minutes

Harriet and Loren began crawling in the mud. It had all fallen apart for them. They had led for much of the race only to be caught by everyone because they couldn't climb a rope.

They were tired and sore. They wondered it this degradation to their well being would be over anytime soon. They wanted to quit, but knew they couldn't. It was bad enough to lose to everyone, but it would be worse not to finish.

They both knew that they weren't very good doing things physically. It wasn't who they were. They liked the finer things in life. Hopefully they wouldn't lose too much respect from the others.

They crawled slowly, but together. They encouraged each other for they didn't want to be left behind, alone in the pit. They managed to finish, but not before Harm passed them both.


	17. Chapter 17

****

Title: **_A Long Weekend at Camp_**

Author: _red rooster dawn_

Summary: The Admiral invites the staff to Camp Maplewood for a weekend of bonding. Harm and Mac have fun with their friends movements.

part seventeen

4435 Minutes

Mac was excited. She had passed everyone who had started before her over the last run and obstacle, but one. Jen was the only person left ahead of her now. With any luck she should catch her before the end.

Crawling in the mud was an unusual experience for her especially the last fifty yards where she was almost completely submerged in it. She wondered whose bright idea that was. The Admiral came to mind.

He couldn't win by playing fair so he had to cheat, tweaked the contest so as to favor the stronger men. If he wanted to win that bad he should have run with the women instead of trying to compete with the younger men and resorting to juvenile antics.

She took off after Jen. Her chances of winning was better than fifty/fifty she thought. She was the better runner. She was stronger. The only question now was how much will and determination did Jen have left to finish the race ahead of her.

She had her answer when she was a hundred yards from the finish when she quickly moved pass Jen who seemed to be laboring to the finish. "Good job Coates!" she said as she sped on to the finish line.

She was about ready to relax as she cross the finish line to see unfortunately one more obstacle. She wasn't very happy about it and she didn't like the looks of it either. It looked worse than the pit of mud she had just crawled through.

4450 Minutes

Jen had finished the crawl through the mud first. The last twenty feet she thought she was actually swimming. She turned around to see where everyone was and noticed that Mac was hre closest competitor.

She wondered how the Colonel had caught up to her so fast. She had started nine minutes ahead of her. She had completed all the obstacles in rapid fashion except for the rope climb. But everyone had trouble climbing the rope.

She took off running. If she was lucky she could beat the Colonel to the finish line. She ran faster than she should have and tired half the way to the finish. The Colonel passed by her easily.

She was disappointed that she wasn't going to win, but at least she had run a good race. There was no shame in losing to the Colonel. Jason would be so proud of her. She turned to see no one else close behind.

4515 Minutes

Jack had made up a lot of time crawling through the mud. Harm would say he was in his element. Only one person had done better in his estimation, Mac. And the only reason she was ahead of him was his inability to control the movement.

He suspected that she had something to do with that. It would be one thing if only one or two people had movement problems, but nearly everyone who was here hadn't been regular since they arrived.

Something was up and since Harm and Mac were in charge of all the food preparation, they were his prime suspects. He wondered what they had done. He would have to have a talk with Harm later about it later.

It was a prank worthy of notoriety. Their academy buddies would love to hear how a flyboy and his marine put one over on an admiral who was also a seal.

He ran hard over the last leg of the race. He pulled away from Bud, Skates, Mic, and AJ rather easily. He passed Carolyn, Meg, and Caitlin with a little over a hundred yards to go singing "I'm in the money, I'm in the money."

He was surprised to see another obstacle ahead of him. What was even more surprising to him was to see Jen and Mac struggling through the gooey muck. He thought he had a good chance at winning now,

but halfway through the gooey mess he felt someone jump on his back forcing his face deep into the gooey muck. As he struggled to get up with someone on his back he felt another person jump on top of him too and he found his face in the gooey muck again.

4600 Minutes

Carolyn, Meg, and Caitlin decided to run together the rest of the way. They were tired and dirty. The last obstacle had taken everything out of them to complete. It was bad enough to crawl through mud, but did they have to crawl through mud almost two feet deep?

They took their time running. They weren't going to win. The purpose of the race after all was for everyone to finish together. They weren't too surprise to see Jack pass by them. They were sure the mud hadn't bother him at all.

They did hear him singing a silly verse as he passed them. "I'm in the money, I'm in the money." They were surprised that Mic didn't catch them until the end of the run and AJ was right behind them. They weren't too happy to see another obstacle at the end either.

Caitlin jumped on top of Mic when they went into the pit. Meg jumped on top of AJ holding him down like she was riding a bucking bronco in the gunk.

Carolyn circumvented the first part of the pit to land on top of Jack in the middle of the pit. If they could manage it everyone would end up finishing together in the pit.

There was one last chance for Mic to save face. If he stayed with AJ he could catch the ladies before the end. He knew AJ would keep a strong pace because he too would want to beat the ladies. He ran hard first passing Skates and then AJ near the end.

He caught the other ladies at the end of the run. He was a little surprised to see another obstacle waiting for them. He leaped over the first hurdle and was about to go under the next one when he felt someone landing on top of him driving his face deep into the gooey mess.

He tried to straighten up, but whoever it was on top of him wasn't letting him up. Of course the gooey mess he was mired in wasn't helping his efforts either. He could barely move in it.

4605 Minutes

AJ loved it. It had been fun crawling through the mud. It brought back memories of his youth when he was with the Seals. He was glad that he had taken the precaution of having a camera at each obstacle filming everyone as they completed each task.

He was still disappointed that he hadn't caught the ladies after the movement paid him a visit. Jack had moved out well in front of him. He wouldn't be caught. And then there was Mic. He was like gum stuck on the bottom of his shoe.

He couldn't shake him. Well at least with him on his tail it would force him to run a little harder to stay ahead of him. Maybe he could catch the ladies. He passed Skates near the end, but in turn he was passed by Mic.

He saw the ladies pausing at the last obstacle. He laughed that he had at last surprised them. He hopped over the first hurdle and was about to go under the second one when he felt someone land on top of him driving his face into the gooey muck. They didn't let him get up.

He cursed wondering which one of the ladies was on top of him. He tried to reach back and get a hold of her, but instead he was driven face first again into the gooey mess.

4610 Minutes

Skates was out of the pit after Caitlin, Meg, and Carolyn. Her goal was to catch up with them and finish the race with them. She was passed by AJ and Mic halfway to the finish. She managed to stay with them to the finish.

Unfortunately she was disappointed to see another obstacle to be overcome. She smiled though when she saw the other women jump on top of the men. She followed Carolyn and jumped on Jack to hold him back. She was not going to let him beat Mac or Jen.

4620 Minutes

Harm had made up a lot of time in the mud pit. He still had time to catch most of the others if he ran real hard. He passed Gunny and Jason near the end of the run, but was disappointed that he hadn't been able to catch the rest of them.

They were six of them finishing not far ahead of him. Damm he thought, so close yet so far. He was surprised to see one more obstacle and that Jen and Mac were near the end of it. What in the blue blazes was in the pit to have cost them so much time?

He laughed when he saw the ladies on top of Jack, Mic, and AJ. They were face down in the gooey mess. He found a way to circumvent them and made his way quickly through the mess finishing third behind Mac and Jen. He was quite satisfied with his performance now.

He turned around to see Gunny and Jason jump on top of AJ and Mic relieving Meg and Caitlin so they could finish next. Then Gunny got off AJ and replace Skates and Carolyn on Jack so they could finish after Meg and Caitlin.

Then it was AJ, Jason, Gunny, Jack, and Mic finishing the race. They couldn't believed what had happened and were shock when they saw the ladies standing there waiting for them.

AJ, though he was a little disappointed, was pleased with the teamwork of his people and that most of them had finished the race together. That was his plan after all.

4650 Minutes

When Sturgis finally reach the last obstacle he saw only five people left on the course. They were all had less than sixty yards left to the end. He had seen Jack, Mic and the Admiral running off as he approached.

He was going to finished last. So what if he was only seven and a half minutes behind the leader whoever that was. At least there was one consolation, he finally saw someone else on the course.

He jumped under the barb wire to crawl as fast as he could. Maybe if he was damm lucky he could catch Harriet and Loren before the end. Wow! What an accomplishment that would be he thought. Damm the Admiral for embarrassing him once again in such a manner.

He had been punished all weekend by him. He didn't understand why it was so. He had worked with everyone. He had taken an interest in everybody's career. He had stayed out of Harm and Mac's relationship.

What more did he have to do to be accepted by him? One thing he did know, never again would he partake in any activity like this ever again.

4700 Minutes

Bud was the first guy to emerge from the mud pit, but he knew he wasn't very far ahead of the other men. He took a quick look behind him and saw Jack right behind him. Mic and the Admiral would be done soon.

He tried to run quickly, but the excitement of doing well early had finally caught up to him. He was exhausted, but he managed to keep his feet moving doing what Sturgis liked to call the airborne shuffle.

It wasn't very fast, but it was quicker than just walking. Jack passed him before he had gone fifty feet. Mic and AJ passed him with a hundred fifty yards to go. They both told him "Good job Bud, I'm proud of you."

When he got to the end he wasn't happy about completing another obstacle. He wanted to sit down somewhere and suck down a few beers. He was very surprised to see the pig piles in the gooey muck.

Except for Mac and Jen, everyone who was ahead of him was in the middle of the pit. He couldn't tell who was on top of who or why it was all happening. All he could think about right now was finishing.

Gunny and Jason decided to run together the rest of the way to the finish. They were too far behind to catch anyone else so why take a chance of getting hurt like last year. They were surprised when they caught Bud by the end of the run,

but they were even more surprised to see that they still had to complete one final obstacle. They laughed when they saw the women on top of Jack, Mic, and the Admiral. It seemed like the women were holding the men's faces down in the gooey muck.

They quickly joined in on the fun holding down Jack, Mic, and the admiral so that the women could finish the race ahead of the men. Somehow it seemed the right thing to do and the opportunity wasn't going to present itself again anytime soon.

Gunny took great pleasure holding Jack down in the gooey muck. It was the second time he was able to pay back the commander for ruining his beloved hat.

4920 Minutes

Harriet and Loren agreed to finish run together. There was no need to embarrassed the other. Everyone had passed them they were last. Even the Commander Rabb had zipped on by them.

They slowly moved their way to the finished and were surprised that someone passed them at the end. It was Commander Turner. Where had he been? Why was he passing them now? What happened to him.

They saw him jump into what appeared to be another obstacle, a pit filled with something. They wanted to quit, but everyone was cheering for them to finish. They saw Mic and Jack jump into the pit and jump on top of Commander Turner. "Come on Harriet! Come on Loren! Hurry! You can do it!"

Somehow they managed to complete the task at hand. Sturgis cursed at Jack and Mic for interfering. He had ahead of two people. Now he was regulated to another last place finish.

"Get ahold of yourself Sturgis! They jumped on top of us too. I should have finished third, instead I finished ninth." shouted Jack.

But Sturgis didn't care. It had been the same all weekend. He had been the butt of the joke. Never again would he partake in another weekend like this one. It had been great to get away and spend time with some old friends, but to be embarrassed the way he had been was too much.

He would rather pull duty on long weekends in the future. He still couldn't figure out what he had done to deserve the treatment that he had received this weekend.

The race was over and the Admiral had finished towards the end because of all the people who had jumped on top of him. The ladies were first ones to jump on top of him. Then it was Jason who jumped on top of him next.

But he couldn't get too upset as they employed the same tactics to Mic and Jack too. He thought it was fitting that Jason and Gunny let the ladies finish ahead of them. Also he couldn't complain because it was his original idea that everyone were to finish together.

Which was what happened. He found it amusing when Jack held Sturgis down in the muck so that Loren and Harriet could finish ahead of him. Sturgis wasn't very happy though to finish last once again. Jack explained to him that the same thing had happened to AJ, Mic, and him.

The ladies had taken them down first followed by Jason and Gunny. It gave Sturgis a sense of relief to know that he wasn't the only one who was picked on. Still, as a competitive person he had been the last one to finish in most of the events that took place this weekend.

AJ told him that it built character to finish back in the pack. He had to understand that you needn't feel ashame to lose whenever you've done your best, especially when you were a lawyer.

You weren't always going to win every case even when you did a very good job. Sturgis didn't buy into that argument, but he wasn't in a position to argue with the Admiral.

AJ had a cooler of beer and tonic waiting for everyone when they finished. It was greatly appreciated by all. Though the odor coming from some of the men made it difficult to stay around long to enjoy the company.

the surprise obstacle

The final obstacle was fifty yards long. There were three hurdles three feet high to go over and two to go under. The pit was filled with a mixture that was thick and gooey. It had a consistency of a taffy and molasses.


End file.
